


The new Teyrna

by annaF



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: F/M, Forced Marriage, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-29 08:24:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 26
Words: 28,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7677157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annaF/pseuds/annaF
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This was the final chapter, so,I hope you enjoyed this story. thank you for the kudos, the bookmarks and the comments.</p>
        </blockquote>





	1. The loser

In your final moments, your life flashes before your eyes. That was what they said. Yet the only sentiment Kallian had was bitterness and regret as sharp as the edge of the sword pressed firmly on the flesh of her neck. She could hear their voices, like echoes coming from the depth of a well. They were speaking about her imminent death, Riordan, Anora, Alistair and the man holding the sword.

Her father, Shianni, Soris and all the remaining elves in her Alienage, they were doomed now. She had been full of anger and so full of herself, she had attacked blindly, fury replaced reason and her agility and swiftness made place to more aggressive attacks, trying to do maximum damage with each hit….a rogue going berserker was never a good thing. And now she was lying at his feet, defeated, humiliated and soon dead.

Finally, the sword pressed against her thin neck was removed, Winn’s voice resonated in her ears as the old mage was trying to heal a deep wound in her left flank.

Kallian lifted her head, Riordan, Anora, Alistair, and Loghain, they were looking at her as if they were waiting for an answer…somehow she knew that no matter what, she would be doomed.

“Warden, did you hear me?” Riordan asked.

Kallian kept silent.

“Let us get done with this and move to more pressing matters” Loghain growled.

“Loghain, only a warden can kill the Archdemon” Riordan said quietly.

“You have my men, make them all gray wardens if you wish, but this one, this one shall die” Loghain stated, pointing his sword toward the kneeling elf.

“I do not have what is necessary to create an army of gray wardens, only one or two and we have no guaranty they would survive the joining” Riordan insisted.

“If even this… girl has survived the joining, my best warriors would…she has nothing special” he added viciously.

“Nothing special except an army of dwarves and dalish elves, the best warriors and the best archers of Thedas and I doubt they would follow your lead if you kill her.” the old Warden was exasperated by the amount of stubbornness…not stubbornness but a blinding hatred.

“Father, you should listen to reason, Riordan made a fair proposition” Anora said putting her hand on her father’s shoulder.

“Ferelden’s men will not line behind you, Loghain, you do not inspire loyalty anymore they saw the girl rising against your tyranny… let her lead them”

“This is a sordid preposition, Riordan, after all she has done for you, you are going to reward her by a forced marriage. Kallian would prefer death to this humiliation” Alistair argued.

“So let her speak and say it by herself,” Anora said.

“Warden, do you consent to this marriage?” Riordan asked.

“I…”

They were hoping for a positive answer, all but Alistair and Loghain who was still holding his sword squeezing the pummel glaring at her as if she was the one who was selling his family and not the other way around.

“Yes,” she finally managed to voice.

“No!” Loghain simply said

“Do you really wish to put this elf where your mother used to stand, Anora?” Loghain hissed looking at his daughter.

 

Anora took a step toward her father and whispered only for him to hear.

“Father, you do not seem to measure the consequences of your acts. I would marry even a brainless monkey to keep my throne and if you wish to keep your lands, you should do the same”

“I won the duel and I am…”

“Look at those nobles eager to see the peasant’s disgrace. Do you think they are buying it that the death of a king and his three advisors in less than a week is a coincidence?” Anora asked but the only answer she got was that chilling stare.

“Do not be over emotional. That’s what you have taught me. Practice what you preach” she added.

After a moment of heavy silence, he finally spoke.

“I accept,” Loghain said sheathing his sword.

“Bring a Chantry sister and let us be done with it” he added.

Riordan had witnessed many funerals in his life but not one of them was grimmer than this wedding’s ceremony. And when he thought things couldn’t be worse, the cleric asked what dowry the bride had brought and Kallian said “my people the children and women he was selling to Tevinter to buy himself a golden crown.” at this point the only question was who was going to kill the other first.

 

 

Two months later.

 

“Warden it is so good to see you,” Anora said squeezing Kallian’s hand tentatively drawing a warm smile on her face.

“I received the dresses you sent me, they are very lovely,” Kallian said politely

“You are going to need them to assume your new position”

“I doubt that the wardens in Amaranthine give an importance to such things” Kallian had a bad presentiment about this.

“Amaranthine? You must be mistaken my dear, a warden from Orlais is going to be warden commander of Amaranthine, you are going with your husband to Gwaren”

“Anora, don’t…No” Kallian shook her head raising a finger in the face of her ‘stepdaughter’.

“Fear not Kallian, can I call you Kallian? You are not going to be bored in Gwaren the duties of a Teyrna are so numerous”

“Do not toy with me Anora! I’m not one of your nobles. The Archdemon is dead, I did my part of the bargain now we can forget about this abomination called wedding”

“oh, dear warden, keeping you alive had for purpose to end the blight more quickly but the wedding it was for my father’s sake, he needs you. You do not have to be nice to him or love him, you are free to spit at his face in private as long as you stand by his side in public and do not dishonor him”

“For the dishonoring part, I think he doesn’t need me he is already doing a good job of dishonoring himself by his own ways” kalian frowned in confusion.

“Let me rephrase it; no other men” Anora explained.

Kallian grunted in disgust. Did this woman thought that there was a possibility that this marriage would be consumed?

“My Alienage, if something happens to them your father is not the only one who could make a man’s death look like an accident” Kallian finally said.

“I promise you, Warden. Be nice to him and I shall be nice to your people.” Anora said with a victorious smile.

  A carriage drawn by four horses took her to her supposed new home. The journey was tiresome and disagreeable even when she managed to sleep all the time, nightmares reminded her of her new situation and that she would never enjoy peace of mind again as long as she lived under his roof.

 

Usually, everywhere she went she was always welcomed by an overjoyed crowd cheering and rushing to take a glimpse at the Hero of Ferelden, the woman who slew the Archdemon. Yet, when they reached Gwaren, no one was here to welcome them and it said all about what the people here thought about Loghain. He never truly cared about them and they returned the favor.

They didn’t speak, it was some sort of tacit agreement that they had to purposely ignore one another after the masquerade they called a wedding.

at least Now that she was far away from the royal palace and all the festivities she was no more forced to stand by his side, arm-in-arm, and smile politely to the nobles that she despised.

Kallian stood in the hall of the palace, Loghain surely liked opulence and to show the nobles that he was now one of them, so peasant boy made his castle fancier than the royal palace itself typically like a new rich. She couldn’t help but laugh at this thought and it draw the attention of the man who was talking to his seneschal. He made sign to a servant to come and ordered her “escort the Teyrna to her room” the girl looked confused until he pointed to the elven woman dressed in a grey warden armor “yes my lord!” she said and walked toward Kallian to bow before her and say “follow me please my lady Hero of Ferelden”

Kallian followed the young woman. The castle was big, old and very cold, every stone of it filled Kallian with sadness and despair, she was startled when the servant said “those are your quarters my lady”

Kallian looked inside the room without stepping inside.

“We cleaned and prepared it when we were told that Teyrn Loghain was coming home with a new Teyrna”

“And yet you seemed so choked when he told you to escort me to this room”

“My lady…we knew the Teyrn married the Hero of Ferelden but nobody told us…you…forgive me I talk too much” the woman stuttered

“The seneschal didn’t tell you I was an elf…this man must be very tolerant or very bigoted, who knows!” Kallian laughed.

“Do you wish anything else?”

“I’ll be taking my meals in my room, so tell the cook if she wants me to stay away from her kitchen to send me my meals here”

“My lady, it is not her kitchen it is yours now, and you can fire and hire anyone you want. those are the traditions, the new mistress of the domain hires her own servants”

“Oh, tell everyone to ease their minds, I am not planning on changing the actual personnel”

“Thank you my Lady” the woman said before turning over to leave.

“Don’t forget about the food!” she shouted, before she got into her room and closed the door.

The room was spacious and nicely decorated, the chests containing her personal belongings were carefully disposed at a corner near the bed.

The bed…it was nice and big but the decorations, the carvings, and the colors made Kallian uncomfortable... this bed was made for more than the only purpose of sleeping. She sighed and chased her fears away, the man hated her almost as much as she hated him. He would never seek her company in the intimacy he would rather jump off a cliff. The idea of him jumping off a cliff and dying made her smile as she took off her clothes and lay down for a nap.


	2. The servant

Kallian spent the following day in her quarters. The only person she spoke to was the young woman who always brought her her meals with a smile and kind words. She was aware that thanks to her new title and position everybody became suddenly friendly and courteous, yet something told her that this servant girl was not pretending.

The next day, her curiosity took the best of her and she decided to explore the castle. She realized two things, first, that it would take her more than one day to discover every nook, and second, that there was  portraits of the late Teyrna almost everywhere.

As if being married to Loghain wasn’t enough, she had to endure the glare of that deceased woman too.

Kallian headed to the garden, here at least no portrait would be hung…or did they hang them on trees?

 

She was starting to enjoy the sun when the voice of the young servant reached her ears.

“Do you need anything, your grace?”

“…yes, one thing, I need to know your name” Kallian laughed.

“Huna, my name is Huna, my lady”

“You are not Fereldan” Kallian concluded.

“My Father and his parents came from a far country where nobody believe in a cranky god named Maker who married a human woman and my mother is from an Avvar tribe”

Kallian laughed.

“I knew it! You are far too polite and kind to be fereldan” Kallian said.

“Come and sit beside me” she added.

The young girl hesitated for a second before sitting next to Kallian.

“Is something amiss?” Kallian asked

“The head servant would be crossed with me if she finds me here neglecting my duties.”

“Don’t worry, since today I appoint you as my personal maid. You answer to no one but I and I will give you a raise as well” Kallian said.

“Thank you, my lady Hero of Ferelden,” the girl said with an overjoyed smile.

“Now I need you to answer one or two questions”

“Of course”

“Did you know my predecessor?”

“…ah! You mean Teyrna Celia… yes, I knew her but not personally, she never spoke to me. When I had the job she was already sick”

“How was she?”

“Well, she was a ruler, the Teyrn was rarely here and she was the one who ruled the Teyrnir”

“Tell me something I don’t already know”

“I don’t understand my lady,” the girl said.

“Ruler is a big word, there are all kinds of rulers. I want to know what kind of woman she was and how a … villager like her succeeded in the task” Kallian explained.

Again she saw the hesitation in the girl’s eyes.

“Can I speak freely my lady?”

“Please do so”

“The woman was married to Loghain Mac Tir for almost thirty years, what kind of woman do you think she was?”

Kallian start laughing and Huna sighed in relief. It was not today that she was going to be hanged for extreme insolence.

“You are right it was a stupid question to ask,” Kallian said.

“My mother used to say that what makes a marriage last is neither love nor passion but a compatibility of character”

Kallian stared at the young woman.

“From what I have heard, she didn’t like foreigners, she despised elves and she was wary of mages and dwarves…and to answer your second question; it was easy for her to rule Gwaren because she was one of them, the people here respected her family and trusted her even before she marry Loghain”

“Are you telling me that it would be impossible for me to rule here?” Kallian feigned a shocked look.

“My lady I...I didn’t mean …” the girl stuttered.

“Easy, girl” Kallian laughed.

“My lady, what I meant was, the ones who become nobles are the ones who already think that they are somehow special and better than the others”

Kallian kept staring at the young woman in disbelief.

“Who are you?” Kallian muttered, “who are you, girl?”

“I am a servant, my lady” the young woman smiled.

“Not anymore…” Kallian said rising from the bench.

Huna’s smile faded.

“From now on you are my personal advisor,” Kallian said.

“You honor me my lady but I…”

“I don’t know who educated you but it was not some chantry sister and I also know that your foreign name and heritage didn’t allow you to get a better job than this…so do you accept to stand by the side of an elf trapped in the house of Loghain Mac Tir”

“it would be a pleasure my lady Hero of Frelden.”


	3. The hero and the advisor

It was her fourth day in her new ‘home’ when Kallian decided to meet the seneschal.

“Is there something I could do for you, your grace?” the man said politely.

“Yes, there is one thing. I hired a servant named Huna as my personal advisor so please take this into consideration when times come to pay the personnel”

“Do you mean you hired her as your handmaid, your grace?” the man said

“No I meant she was now my personal advisor” Kallian insisted “take this into consideration” she ended the conversation with a fiery glare and went to her room.

Living here wouldn’t be easy, she expected it but what she didn’t expect was a half drunk Loghain entering her chambers without even bothering with door knocking.

Kallian jumped out of her bed and quickly put on her dressing gown.How could he enter like this without permission, not even asking if she was decent?

“Don’t you know how to knock on the door?” Kallian hissed.

“Can you tell me what use do you have for a personal advisor?”

“I…I am the Teyrna and I need someone to rely on” Kallian muttered.

“Elf, you are not a Teyrna. All you managed to do since we came here is eating, sleeping and basking in the sun like a god damn cat” Loghain chuckled.

“You are the one who brought me here…I never wanted to…”

Loghain took two quick steps and grabbed her arm.

“Nothing would have pleased me more than beheading you at the landsmeet but you escaped death by making a deal. Now you have to assume your responsibilities” he hissed in her ear before violently pushing her away.

Kallian almost lost her balance as she gripped the dresser’s corner.

“Get out! You are drunk, so get out of my room!” she yelled.

Loghain stared at her coldly and didn’t move.

“listen carefully, elf, you chose to become my wife in order to save your life and now you have two choices, you submit yourself to me as your husband or we go back to Denerim and call another Landsmeet to grant our divorce for refusal to consummate the marriage”

Kallian’s eyes widened in horror.He was serious. He came here to lay with her…no his intentions were more nefarious, he wanted her to refuse him and then humiliate her in front of the nobles at the landsmeet. She would lose Anora’s support and even Amaranthine was not an option for her now, instead, she would be sent to the infamous warden’s fortress in Weisshaupt.

“You have until tomorrow evening to think about it and give me your answer,” Loghain said before leaving the room.

 

She couldn’t sleep. The walls were closing in on her and for the first time in her life, she thought that abandoning everything and running away was a worth considering option.

In the morning, when Huna came to check on her as usual, she couldn’t hold her tears back. She didn’t know how much reliable the girl was but she had to speak to someone.

“I told you everything and now I need your advice,” Kallian said.

Huna nervously looked at the warden in front of her and said

“You need to consummate the marriage”

“No!” Kallian shouted, throwing a pillow at the young woman.

“My lady…” the girl muttered catching it and putting it back in the bed.

“You are my advisor! And now I am in need of an advice more than ever” Kallian kept shouting.

Huna rushed toward the door to lock it and said “please, lower your voice, my lady. We don’t need everyone to know about it”

Kallian sat on the edge of the bed and shook her head “I am trapped, no matter what I choose, he wins” she almost sobbed.

“We must treat the problem step by step.” Huna declared, sitting in a chair in front of Kallian. “And to know the ‘why’ to understand the ‘how’”

“Huh?” Kallian frowned.

“Why did the queen force her father to marry you?”

“To re-establish his decreasing popularity, I guess”

“alright, then be sure that even if you go to Denerim and ask for a divorce she won’t grant it to you, well not yet”

“What do you mean by not yet?”

“You are in the apogee of your glory and her father is very hated by the majority of the people. Being married to you, in a way, is a protection for him. But glory and popularity decrease with years. Now ‘the hero of Ferelden’ serve as shield to absorb the fury of the people but after some years he will remain the Teyrn and the father of the queen and you will be a mere elf”

Kallian eyes narrowed as she began to understand what was going to happen in the future…it was better than listening to a fortune teller.

“It is temporary, that’s what she had told him I guess. But now let us focus on the main problem, Loghain lost his patience and is seeking to get rid of you sooner than later.”

Kallian started laughing like a madwoman.

“If I am to be discarded like an old horse I have to agree with Loghain, it is better sooner than later” she finally said as she began gathering her items and clothing.

“Warden, wait,” Huna said taking the clothes from Kallian’s hands “I only told you about the ‘why’, now you need to listen to the ‘how’. How you are going to play this game”

“This is not a game!” Kallian yelled, snatching back her clothes. “Besides, I am very bad at playing games.”

“Please listen to me, then decide” Huna begged, taking the clothes once again from Kallian’s hands and putting them aside.

“You are the Hero of Ferelden, will you let them transform you into a running away elf, a deserting warden?” Huna asked squeezing Kallian’s hands

“You are smart. Why are you betting on a losing horse?” Kallian said.

“You have everything to win, except the resolve to do so” Huna softly said.

“Tell me more about my assets, please” Kallian chuckled.

“It is not a lie my lady. You are beautiful, heroic and young: Marrying a Teyrn makes you his wife, but seducing the Teyrn will make you Teyrna”

Kallian’s eyes widened. What was she even talking about?

“Look it was nice to know you. Now you can leave I am…”

“Would you please shut up and listen!” Huna, exasperated, yelled at Kallian.

Surprised, Kallian sat down on the bed.

“Forgive me my lady” the girl muttered “it is the best chance you have to turn things in your favor”

“How shall I proceed to seduce him?”

“You are pretty and young, prettier than any woman he had. But your attitude should change.”

“Huna, the man will come tonight to…to perform his marital duties. Seduction and ‘love’ are unimportant for him”

“Not unimportant, it is simply unhoped for”Huna smiled.

“I wouldn’t be able to seduce even a man I like, let alone a man I hate” Kallian stated.

“You, better than anyone else know about the things we are able to accomplish when we have no other choices. You do not have a choice.”

“When he comes tonight…I mean…what should I…”Kallian stuttered not able to ask about intimacy. She had an idea about what would happen but…she never thought she would be so afraid of it. Huna smile as she guessed what was going on Kallian’s mind.

“tell him you agree, and tell him this with nice words and ask for more time to know him better before you go to the bed…and don’t forget to inform him that you are an untried maiden” Huna suggested.

“He won’t believe me until he has the proof of it” Kallian snorted.

“Tell him anyway, it will help” Huna smiled.

 

 


	4. The Teyrn

She waited for him to come in the evening. She couldn’t think, couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep…and the scoundrel wouldn’t show, he likely was enjoying putting her through this torture.

Rather than spending another sleepless night, Kallian decided to take the matter in hand. She wore one of her most beautiful dresses then she took it off and opted for a less revealing one. With determined steps, she went to his room.

She knocked on the door and after a moment she heard “come in”. How amusing would it be if she caught him with another woman, she thought. But she knew she wasn’t going to be so lucky.

Loghain was sitting behind his desk with a pile of papers before him…he was wearing something she never saw before…two round pieces of transparent glass held together by a metallic rim and a sort of tiny bridge that somehow fitted on his nose.

Loghain briefly looked at her over his glasses before returning his attention to the documents in front of him.

Kallian felt like a schoolgirl who had studied so hard but forgot everything on the exam day.

“Do you have something to tell me, warden?” He asked without looking at her.

Kallian wondered for a second if he was already so senile that he wouldn’t remember what he did the day before.

“You were supposed to come to my room to hear my answer to the ultimatum you gave me yesterday,” Kallian said trying not to use any harsh words.

“Forget about it” he simply said “eat, drink and enjoy the sun. Take a horse and go for a ride. you deserved it” he said, still not looking at her but at the papers on his desk.

Kallian took a deep breath. She couldn’t help but think that this sudden explosion of generosity was a lure. he, probably, was reserving her something much worse. She had to act. She walked to a chair next to his desk and sat down.

Loghain finally took off his glasses and looked at her,

“Anything else?” he calmly said.

“I think you were right…about consummating the marriage”

He kept staring at her, his expression unmoved and it amused her. He too was probably thinking that she was plotting to kill him or something.

She needed to make the whole thing plausible.

“It is not right for two married people to live under the same roof like strangers. Furthermore, I have never known a man and I want this to change, since I am your wife it is you or no one.”

“You want us to share a bed” he calmly said

“Yes…I mean, I need to know you first. We are sort of strangers after all.” She said, trying to smile and failing miserably.

She startled when he stood up from his chair. He walked toward her and softly took her hand and pulled her.

Kallian got up, confused and frightened by the man’s proximity. She avoided looking at his face until he put his hand under her chin and lifted her head. She could feel her face burning with the sudden rush of blood. Yet, she managed, somehow, to keep herself from shaking like a leaf on the wind.

His eyes had a beautiful color and he was far from repulsive if one would overlook his evil nature and deeds. Kallian felt her eyelids becoming heavier, and almost in spite of herself, her lips gaped waiting for a kiss that never came. Loghain walked away from her, his back turned so she wouldn’t see his expression.

“I am willing to try, but don’t expect too much,” he said browsing the pile of documents on his desk.

“Good night” she finally said.

He didn’t answer.


	5. The dinner

The next day, a servant came to Kallian’s room and informed her that the Teyrn was awaiting her to have dinner. Those words were sufficient to make her lose her appetite. Her growling empty stomach suddenly became quiet, she even experienced a sensation of fullness and had to fight the urge to puke with every step she took towards the dining room.

Nervous and tense, she hesitated a little before choosing the chair at the other end of the table. She would be facing him but at least it had the advantage of being the farther seat…from him.

Once she was sat, Loghain made a sign to the servant to begin serving supper.

It was going to be the longest dinner she ever had.

Ten minutes later and the only thing one could hear was the sounds of cutlery against fine porcelain plates.

“Is there something wrong with your food?” he finally asked.

Kallian smiled and put down her fork. It was an opportunity to put an end to this.

“I don’t have much appetite this evening”

“This is highly surprising knowing that you normally request two servings for each meal”

He was paying attention to how much she was eating. And he seemed to ignore that the Wardens had appetites similar to those of monsters. Anyway, he wasn’t going to learn it from her, not when he could and would use any weakness she would show against her.

He wiped his mouth with a napkin and rose from his seat.

“Come, let us take a little walk in the garden. Some fresh air may help you to get your appetite back”

He didn’t give her the option to decline his offer as he stood next to her with his hand stretched out. As soon as she left her seat he took her right hand and entwined her arm on his left arm leading her toward the garden.

 

The garden was dark and it made her feel safe. Always good to have a perfect night vision when others could barely see. She inhaled the soothing fresh air and could almost forget to whom arm she was actually clinging…she was actually seeking to forget it until the man next to her stopped walking and turned to face her, staring at her face.

“What?” she said spontaneously.

“It doesn’t matter how many times you see it, it still impressive,” He said pointing at her eyes.

If this remark would have come from anyone else, she would have taken it as a compliment or a simple sign of amazement before something new and different. Yet, here she knew that pointing out the difference of her race was, on the mind of this man, something that made her a stranger, a foe, and a potential threat….or simply inferior.

“Oh!” she said forcing a smile on her lips.

He stood there looking at her for a while until the whole situation began to feel awkward.

“Some elves helped us during the war we wedged to liberate Ferelden, they were very useful at night”

Kallian struggled to keep her cheerful expression.

“You must have many stories to tell about this period.”

“Not as many as you think” he chuckled.

“Well I surely would like to hear some” she smiled.

“Alright,” he said, putting his arm around her waist as they started to walk in the garden again.

 

********

 

Huna waited patiently in Kallian’s room. She had to be there, not only to check on how things were progressing but to prevent the new Teyrna from rushing things and bringing him to her room while she was not ready for it. He was not going to make it easy for them. She knew him and she was aware that he was different from other men but she had to trust in the Warden that managed to achieve the impossible, as they said. whether it was luck or determination that helped her, Huna only hoped that it  would not stop until she reach her goal.

 

The door cracked open and an exhausted Kallian came in. she glanced briefly at Huna and without uttering a word, started taking off her dress.

“My lady? Are you alright?”

“Fine…very fine” Kallian answered nonchalantly.

Huna handed her her nightgown and waited for her to reveal some details.

“I brought you some apples and grapes. You must be hungry” Huna said, folding the dress Kallian took off.

“Not hungry” Kallian muttered sitting on the bed.

“I am starting to imagine the worst, my lady…would you please tell me what happened exactly?”

Kallian took a deep breath and rubbed her eyes.

“I had to listen to his stories”

“Was it as terrible as that?” huna’s eyebrows raised in surprise.

Kallian nodded.

“He started to tell me how he used elves in his war against Orlais and how it was better to sacrifice elves to prevent losing more soldier… ‘True human soldiers’” Kallian said looking at her advisor.

Huna cleared her throat, she knew that the man was as evil as they come but he would never reveal it by using those words to describe his actions.

“Did he use those exact words?”

“No, I was summarizing for you” Kallian laughed bitterly.

“When I thought that things couldn’t be worse he started talking about his friend, the one who knocked up some woman and threw his own child to the dogs” Kallian added.

“The king?”

“Yeah, this one. The only guy who could make Loghain appear as a decent man when compared to him”

“Please tell me that you didn’t make any… regrettable reaction, my lady”

“I had to listen to this with a smile on my face, laughing or nodding like a fool,” Kallian said.

“Excellent!” Huna said.

“No, it is not! With every story, with every word I felt like dying a little bit inside as I kept smiling…if it continues I will soon become like an empty vessel rooming these castle halls”

“You will not become a ghost, hero of Ferelden. I will make you a Teyrna, you have my word” Huna assured.

Kallian stared at the woman in front of her with the same question that kept coming back to her mind ‘who are you?’.

She was too exhausted to ask it. Maybe tomorrow…maybe never. Her main target was this despicable man, so for now, let Huna keep her secrets. For now…

 


	6. The guest

She was half-awake but still feel the presence beside her bed. Someone was here, leaning over her. Without thinking, she reached for the knife under her pillow and swiftly held it to the throat of the intruder.

“Good morning, my lady” Huna’s voice reached her ears.

Kallian blinked several times but even with her blurred vision she was able to see the smiling face of the other woman…no signs of fear or surprise. When a civilian woman didn’t get startled by a half asleep Warden putting a knife to her throat that meant one thing…the warden was probably the one who should be afraid.

“I was going to wake you up” Huna continued.

Kallian put aside her knife and lay back in the bed.

“It’s too early” she grumbled.

“The Teyrn is requesting your presence”

“Tell him to fuck off, I am no military man like him. I hate waking up early” Kallian said closing her eyes.

Huna started opening the curtains and soon the room was bathed in the sweet light of down.

“Get out! Now!” Kallian yelled.

“You have a guest,” Huna said, unshaken by Kallian’s morning fury.

Kallian’s eyes opened wide as she asked expectantly “who?” was it Zevran, or maybe Leliana, or…

“Your husband’s future mistress if you don’t get out of this bed”

Kallian giggled.

“I was serious.last night after you fell asleep a carriage transporting an almost penniless noble widow arrived at the castle. Loghain received her and from the amount of baggage she was carrying one could assume that she is planning on staying several days, or weeks”

“Wait a minute…is this a riddle?”Kallian asked.

“No, this woman was Celia’s friend. She is the daughter of a wealthy merchant who bought her an old Bann to marry him but when he died he left her nothing but debts and pitiable lands. Now she must be thinking that a Teyrn with humble origins and an elven wife is a perfect target”

“Let her have him” Kallian yawned.

“You are not fighting for a man you are fighting for your territory,” Huna said throwing a dress to Kallian. “Put this on” she continued.

Kallian washed her face and put on the dress that Huna picked for her but when she started arranging her hair the young woman stopped her.

“Don’t tie your hair, let it flow over your shoulders,”

 “But it is thick and curly and…”

“That’s the point, let it cover your ears,” Huna said.

“Do you think my ears are too big?”

“Not at all my lady” Huna smiled “but let’s make Loghain forget that you are an elf”

Kallian shook her head and laughed as she started moving toward the door.

“one last thing my lady, no Darkspawn ever could be as vicious as the creature you are going to meet right now, so keep your calm and do not allow yourself to be provoked”

 

****

Stepping lightly, Kallian entered the dining room. She could only see the back of the woman sitting next to Loghain. She noticed her high pitched laugh, her red hair and then her hand resting on Loghain’s forearm.

Suddenly Loghain turned his head toward her, not desirous to make eye contact she began walking to her chair…

“You, elf! Don’t you have something better to do than roaming around like a fool” the red head woman said with an annoyed tone.

Kallian froze for a second before slowly turning around to look at the woman ‘don’t allow yourself to be provoked’ Huna’s word were still ringing in her ears.

“My lady, let me introduce you Kallian Tabris, commonly known as the Warden,” Loghain said.

“Oh my!” the woman giggled, putting her hand over her mouth attempting to look ‘cute’ as she whispered to Loghain, “it is highly confusing!”

Kallian sat waiting for her meal. She was starving, the kind of hunger that only a warden could feel.

She started with the cheese omelet.

“I can’t believe how slow those elven servants are”

The airy texture of the omelet filled with gooey flavorful cheese was heavenly.

“They are making me crazy, it is like those creatures are doing it on purpose.”

The combination of the mushroom and caramelized onions was perfect.

“I have to flog them almost every week otherwise the lazy idiots won’t do any work”

Nothing could beat the exquisite aroma of the fried potatoes lightly seasoned with rosemary and thyme and their crispy yet creamy texture …

“Sometimes, I feel sorry for them, I guess they can’t help being so stupid”

“Not as stupid as an old woman trying to seduce a man whose wife is half your age,” Kallian said putting down her fork and looking to the other woman, “and is called Hero of Ferelden.”

“I beg your pardon?” the red head said feigning incomprehension.

“You heard me, old hag” Kallian left her seat and walked to the wall to grab one of the swords that were hanged on there.

And when she walked back to the table she could see fear, real fear in the eyes of the ‘lady’.

The old woman looked to Loghain silently begging for help but the man was leaning back in his chair looking attentively at the young elf.

“Warden, there must be a misunderstanding…I…”

“I understood you very well,” Kallian said nonchalantly waving the sword. “You have a viper in place of your tongue and since I am a warden and not a snake charmer I decided that if you were to utter another word I would have to cut off this venomous beast”

The woman opened her mouth trying to speak but closed it very quickly.

“Good!” Kallian smiled “now, go gather your shit and get the fuck out of my house”

She was still hesitating probably thinking that Loghain wouldn’t allow this to happen.

“Now!” Kallian yelled.

Kallian laughed as the older woman rushed toward the stairs stumbling over furniture and cursing under her breath. Something about all this made her feel a sense of satisfaction she hadn’t since she stepped inside this castle.

Absorbed in her own thoughts, she didn’t pay attention to the man who was now standing behind her until a strong hand closed around her upper arm and forced her to face him.

“Does my house look like one of your alienages, elf?” he spoke through clenched teeth.

Kallian raised her head and looked at him with defiance. His Anger was obvious and easy to read but there was something else, she couldn’t figure out. Loghain was panting, his breath coming in short gasps through his flared nostrils, his mouth crooked in dissatisfaction but his eyes…his pupils were so wide that it almost made the blue disappear.

As soon as Kallian’s expression went from defiance to confusion, the man, without any hesitation, took the opportunity and pulled her into his embrace.

Nothing was warm about this embrace, just a needy body grinding against hers, two lips bruising her neck and mad hands touching everywhere.

Kallian woke up from her torpor when Loghain grabbed her behind and lifted her up only to put her down on the dining table, without taking his face off her thin neck.

She put her hands on his chest and tried to push him.

“Don’t move!” he ordered.

His husky voice made her shiver, not in a good way. Her decision was made when his hand went under her dress. Kallian swiftly moved her arm behind her and grabbed the sword she put there minutes ago. Huna told her to be subtle…how was she supposed to remain subtle and gracious? He wanted to take her as he probably took the young elven girls serving in his domain, thus, losing a finger or two would be a good lesson for him to never do such a thing to any woman again… Huna would have to consider that the fact that she didn’t chop his head off was an effort on her part to remain as subtle and gracious as possible.


	7. The weaker vessel

When Kallian grabbed the pommel of the sword and was ready to strike, Loghain suddenly pulled away and Huna’s voice came to her ears.

“Your grace! for…forgive me, my lord, I thought you have…I mean, I am here to clear the table…forgive me” Huna said with a shaking voice.

Kallian frowned and turned her head to look behind, where Huna was standing. The young woman was shaking, head tilted down and hands pressed together nervously.

This woman surely knew how to put on a good act! Kallian’s eyebrows rose in surprise and amusement. She almost forgot about the state of fury she was on, seconds ago. Yes, Loghain, he was still standing in front of her, almost between her parted legs.

She turned her head slowly and glared at him, but he was now staring at her hand…the one that was squeezing the sword’s pommel. And when their eyes met, he, instinctively stepped back and it didn’t take long before his stunned expression left place to the usual cold one as he left the room without looking back.

Kallian closed her eyes and sighed. With a shaking hand, she touched the right side of her neck, where he was ‘kissing’. Even when the skin was, unharmed, smooth and slightly wet, it didn’t change the burning sensation she felt… like someone had poured acid there.

“Let us go upstairs, my lady” Huna whispered.

 

*****

 

“You seem pensive, my lady. What’s on your mind?”

“Laying with him… it seems impossible for me to do it, now that I had a taste of what it would be like. Killing him will be easier” Kallian confessed.

“You are feeling this way because it was too soon,” Huna said with a reassuring smile.

“You think that, if I give myself some time, I would feel the desire to be touched by the man who slaughtered and sold the people I have grown up with? Are you stupid?”

The smile on Huna’s face faded and for a second, Kallian was staring to the real Huna, the one that she probably never let appear to the surface.

“Maybe I misjudged you, you are after all a mere servant” Kallian added to provoke the young woman.

“How many history books did you read Hero of Ferelden? And how much do you know about the different countries and tribes of Thedas?”

“I can see no connection between the two points,” Kallian said nonchalantly.

“Usually, when the victors are done with the vanquished, all the men who are able to fight are killed alongside with the elders and the infants, the non-warrior men are taken to serve while the women of childbearing age are taken as spoils of war, and do you know how many of them slit the throat of the man sleeping beside them and who wrecked their tribe or homeland? None.” Huna explained calmly.

“I still don’t see how this concerns what we were discussing”

“You are a spoil of war, a member of a vanquished race, nature made it this way as a survival tactic to trick women into loving the conquerors, your loyalty goes to the strongest and the children you will bear him not to your people or tribe. And sooner or later you will end up like those women”

“I am a warrior and a warden, you insolent…” Kallian yelled.

“you are an elf and a woman, the moment that this ‘awful, very bad’ man will start treating you like his woman you will forget everything about your people and your revenge…you will be sitting with him, pouring him wine while elves are starving in their alienages.”

“I know that you are saying this to upset me because I called you stupid,” Kallian said realizing her foolishness…whoever this woman was, she was way scarier than she had thought.

“Not at all, my lady. You were doubting the plan I elaborated and I merely tried to explain it…”

Huna took a step forward.

“To put it simply, you are going to trick him into falling in love with you and by doing this you are going also to fool yourself. So don’t worry, by the time he will take you to bed you will be willing and eager” Huna whispered in Kallian’s ear.

Kallian listened, open-mouthed and shocked, to Huna’s confession. She took a step back and stumbled into the bed. She would have sworn that she heard her laughing, mocking her and her stupidity but when she raised her head the young woman’s expression was stoic.

“Please, tell me that this is a lie” Kallian was on the verge of tears.

“my lady, hearing about the details of the plan may take out the magic but believe me it is going to work…it has to; because the other options are too dark to consider”

Whether it is Killing him, or running away, she would ultimately be the biggest loser.

“I am here to help you, you can count on me, always,” Huna said holding a crying Kallian in her arms.

 

 


	8. The hunter and the prey

Food…

Was there anything better than a perfectly done dish? And could anything give more pleasure than eating?

Kallian thought as she took a piece of bread to dip it in the remaining gravy sauce on her plate.

Once the plates before her were empty, Kallian glanced to huna. For the last two weeks, they have taken their meals together in the warden’s chambers. Although, Kallian had never asked for company she just welcomed the servant’s initiative…maybe she could learn more about her.

Huna was staring at the mashed potatoes side dish like it would swoop and bite her.

“You don’t like mashed potatoes?” Kallian asked.

Huna startled but quickly put on a smile and said,

“It’s not my favorite dish.”

“Can I?” Kallian asked, already eyeing what Huna left on her plate.

“Yes of course” Huna smiled as she put the plate in front of Kallian.

Kallian, immediately, poured some gravy sauce on the creamy preparation and started eating.

“It’s strange. I have never met anyone who disliked mashed potatoes” Kallian spoke with a full mouth.

“I happen to dislike it” Huna tried in vain to hide the irritation in her voice. It was so clear. Kallian kept eating feigning stupidity. She didn’t know what she was going to do with this piece of information or if it would be useful to know who exactly this woman was. After all, people have different tastes but for Huna to almost lose her temper over mashed potatoes was strange.

“My lady, it has been almost two weeks. Don’t you think it is time to talk to the Teyrn and maybe… apologize?” Huna carefully suggested.

“No.”Kallian replied without taking her attention from her meal.

“My lady, is this reasonable?”

“Look, I must thank you for telling me about the possible outcome of the ‘plan’. Now, that I have been warned I would rather get a divorce than play this little game.”

“I highly doubt that he would agree to the divorce. You are going to live with him until your presence by his side is no longer needed and then you will be discarded” Huna warned.

“So be it, I lost the duel at the Landsmeet and the winner imposes his terms. I should be humble and thankful for the simple fact that I am still alive”

“You are the Hero of Ferelden, my lady, it deeply saddens me to hear you so resigned and willing to embrace the fate that this man and his daughter chose for you,” Huna confessed, hoping that her words would tickle Kallian’s pride.

Instead of going into a state of fury or trying to refute what Huna said, Kallian started laughing.

“Forget about the Mac Tirs’ schemes, I am more interested in knowing about yours. What is your gain from this whole thing?” Kallian asked.

“My lady I have already told you, you are destined to become the ruler of those lands, a true Teyrna. And helping you rise in your position would also be advantageous for me as well” Huna said.

“So, you want gold,lands, and power? Becoming my seneschal also? It is a convincing answer, yet, somehow, I can tell that there is something else…” Kallian stared at the other woman. Huna was as normal and average looking as any other fereldan woman. She was not ugly but not beautiful either. The kind of woman who could walk around without attracting any kind of attention.

“My lady Kallian, I received an education, mostly from my father and all the books his family brought with them when they installed in Ferelden but knowledge is useless when you are foreign and poor. Too poor to pay a dowry and get married, not andrastian enough to join the chantry, so I took the less humiliating job I could have”

“This is…what you are saying sounds logical” Kallian confessed.

Maybe, the pressure of living with Loghain made her become paranoid.

“But still, I don’t like what you have suggested the last time…the whole ‘fooling myself to fall in love with him’ thing” Kallian grimaced in disgust.

“Alright then, you must know that this outcome could be changed. You can achieve with guile what you haven’t been able to do with a sword, bringing him to his knees and making him beg for mercy”

“How?” Kallian frowned.

“We are keeping the same plan. What must be changed is your mindset. As long as you are considering yourself as the little alienage elf, the victim and seeing him as the big bad invincible Teyrn it is very likely that you are going to fall under his thumb. Moreover, getting rid of this ‘victim’s state of mind’ that makes your emotions vacillate between fear and fury when you are with him would help to erase the frustration you are feeling” Huna explained to a very attentive Kallian.

“It will take time to be able to feel this way” Kallian sighed.

“You are the woman who slew dragons, and now you are going after another kind of prey… my Lady, you are the Warden and he is an old, lonely and bitter man whose betrayal and modest origins have isolated him more than ever” Huna explained, “he is a man.”

“A very dangerous and despicable man” Kallian argued.

Words were not going to erase Kallian’s fears, she had to see by herself the lonesome old man who was hiding under the armor to change her perception of things.

 

“Should I bring you dessert, my lady” Huna smiled knowingly.

“I am full” Kallian yawned.

“Are you sure my lady? The dessert is salted caramel apple pie” Huna asked.

“Bring me two slices”

“As you wish” huna smiled bowing slightly before Kallian.

***********************

 

After lunch, Kallian decided to take a walk in the big garden. It was true that wardens stayed always in shape no matter how much they eat or how little exercise they practice but she felt always better whenever she was outside of the walls of the sinister castle full of Loghain’s lackeys and the paintings of a dead woman glaring at her.

“My lady!” she heard Huna calling her. The young woman was running towards her with flustered face and wide eyes.

“What happened?” Kallian asked waiting for Huna to catch her breath and answer her.

“My lady, the Teyrn had an accident. He was not feeling well after Lunch but he still rode his horse…”

“So?” Kallian hastened the young woman to go to the point.

“He fell off his horse” Huna announced.

“Did he die?” the warden said with an obvious alacrity.

“He broke his leg”

“Yeah, that is bad I guess” Kallian sighed without hiding her disappointment.

“They brought him to his room, he is surrounded by mages and physicians”

“For a broken leg? I guess a rich man’s leg is more valuable than the life of thousands of poor for them”…them the slaves of power and gold, She thought.

“Enough, please!” huna, exasperatedly said, “it is not the time for this, my lady, besides the problem is not his leg, he is having seizures, spasms, and a high fever.”

“Oh!” Kallian said. Maybe she was soon to be free.

“You must be by his side,” Huna said, dragging Kallian to the castle.

“Wait! I’m no physician, woman! why should I even…”Kallian tried to object.

“You are his wife, it is your duty to be by his side. Furthermore, in the absence of his daughter it is up to you to take decisions about his treatment” Huna said.

“You can’t make me do that” Kallian whined, shuffling toward the cold castle.

Huna sighed, Kallian’s hatred of the man was strong, and talking about how serious his illness was or about her duty toward him wouldn’t convince her.

“Warden, you have to understand that your absence can be interpreted as a sign of culpability if he dies, especially that the source of his sickness is still unknown.”

Kallian’s eyes widened. “They can’t…I didn’t talk to him for almost two weeks” she muttered.

“All the more reason to accuse you, my lady. So, please hurry up and stand by his side like a good wife.”


	9. The fereldan patient

Windows closed and curtains drawn, the room was lit only by a few candles and a fire in the fireplace.

Kallian stood on the doorstep reluctant to enter until a soft push from Huna forced her to advance.

The first thing she noticed was his face, paler than usual and glistening with sweat. He was lying in the big bed under a thick blanket but still shivering.

No one seemed to notice her as she stood in the middle of the room.

 Around his bed, there were three doctors arguing about the treatment that must be administred while the two silent men wearing mage robes were not even pretending to try. Near the door, a woman in guard’s armor, one of his personal guards no doubt, seemed to be the only one who had noticed her presence.

"Hey you! Servants have nothing to do here," the woman spoke to huna.

"Yes, of course, I am sorry my Lady" Huna stammered, looking down and preparing to withdraw.

"Stay here!" Kallian said with a firm voice, glaring at the other woman “she is with me,” she added.

The seneschal who was observing the physicians left them and rushed to calm things down.

"Teyrna MacTir, the situation is under control and the doctors are doing everything possible. You can rest in your room, Madame"

"Senechal, I have no desire to rest when my husband is in this state ..." she threw a look at the doctors who were still contending.

“Besides, I do not think these people are actually doing their best.”

The seneschal cleared his throat and glanced to the doctors.

"Gentlemen, have you reached an understanding about the state of his grace?"

"We must do a bloodletting!" said the oldest of them

"The loss of blood will finish him!" Kallian yelled spontaneously.

"And who are you, you kni ..." the old man spat.

"This is Teyrna MacTir the Hero of Ferelden," the seneschal said quickly.

"Another word, old charlatan and I will throw you in the dungeons" Kallian Warned.

"Forgive me, my lady, I am old and cannot see well," he begged.

"Someone has another idea?" Kallian ignored the old man as she addressed the other doctors.

"As we do not know the cause, we cannot treat him," one of them said.

“We can only ease the symptoms for a while and hope that his body will do the rest,” the other doctor explained.

"What if ... what if it was poison?" Kallian suggested, already fearing the answer ...poisoning, it would make her the first suspect.

"There is no poison that can cause these symptoms ... no known poison, in any case" a young physician said.

Kallian felt relief, at least no one would be accusing her if he died.

“And you, why are you standing there and doing nothing,” the female guard said pointing her finger at the two mages.

“We have already healed his leg as best as we could, my lady. We are healers, trained to deal with injuries that would happen on the battlefield,” The older mage said.

“I wonder why they keep you fed and sheltered when you are this incompetent,” the guard said.

“We didn’t ask to be fed and sheltered, and live inside a prison. Besides, the best healers or what remains of them are in Kinloch Hold but I think they would rather be burned in a stick than heal him” the young mage said with a sarcastic tone that made Kallian smile.

“How dare you!” the angry guard said reaching for her sword.

“My lady, forgive him…he…he’s a still young…” the old mage stuttered bowing his head before the furious woman who was about to draw her sword.

“Seneschal, if you would be so kind, would you please keep this one on a tight leash,” Kallian said.

“I…” the seneschal glanced to the tall guard.

“We, the Teyrn’s personal guards receive orders from no one but his grace,” the woman glared at the warden.

Kallian sighed, Cauthrien was not a person, after all, she was an ideology and ideologies didn’t die, as it seemed.

“Gentlemen, I thank you for your efforts, but if there is nothing else you can do for my husband then please leave him to rest now,” Kallian said.

“Seneschal, pay everyone their due. I count on you to keep the good work in my husband’s absence. And you as well, guard, you may leave now,”Kallian added and it earned her an appreciative look from Huna telling her that she was doing well.

“I am not going anywhere.” The guard coldly said.

“Excuse me?” Kallian tried to keep her cool but this woman was not going to make it easy for her to remain calm.

“As long as this servant is present here, I stay.” The guard said, blatantly defying the glaring elven warden.

The young doctor stepped in, trying to avoid an unnecessary fight that would take place in his patient’s room and may even worsen his state.

“Teyrna Mac Tir, I must inform you that as long as we don’t know what caused the Teyrn’s illness we cannot rule out the possibility that it is…might be contagious. My duty as a doctor is to stay and…”

“Then the issue is settled, doctor.” Kallian smiled “as you all know I am a Grey Warden, and we are immune to every infectious disease” she explained staring at the guard, whose expression seemed so unsure now that she knew her dear beloved Teyrn would give her death, the death she didn’t mind him giving to thousands of his own people.

“Fine, my lady, I am going to guard the door, then.” it was a threat, she was going to be close because she didn’t trust her.

 

 Once everyone left the room, Kallian signed in relief as she was not constrained anymore to keep the worried expression of a faithful wife.

She dragged a chair and sat near his bed resting her feet on the mattress almost near his head.

She stared at him. He seemed already half dead,out of breath, gasping painfully and shuddering like a possessed man. She would have been overjoyed by his agony if she wasn’t almost certain that he was going to survive…

“So, Loghain, what is it like to be the wolf among loyal and stupid dog lords?” she said nudging his bare shoulder with the heel of her shoe.

“you had a good time toying with them and making your laws when the weak one was king, I guess, and that’s why you spent so much money and time looking for him, such loyalty!” she chuckled. “His successor was a fool too, but unfortunately for you, he was someone else’s fool.”

Kallian put her feet down and leaned to examine his face. He was pale and… his eyes were fluttering quickly from side to side…he was dreaming! With her thumb, she opened one of his eyelids. He was not asleep, and he was not in a comatose state either…he was in a trance. Some dalish elves and other human tribes practiced it to have visions and ask for guidance from their deities. They simply ingested some herbs and… avvar tribes might as well…

“Huna…” Kallian whispered as she cracked a large smile. She was already suspecting that the young servant had something to do with this from the moment she insisted on her presence beside him when it was wiser to advise her to avoid staying by his side if she wasn’t sure the old man would survive this…no wonder the mages and the physicians couldn’t tell what was wrong with him, for someone who had never witnessed a person going into an induced trance it was impossible to identify it.

Kallian sat back into the chair, what a hilarious situation.

“I wonder, in what way have you wronged this woman to make her go this far to take revenge on you and how she is planning on using me to get it?”Kallian muttered.

“but you know, she is not the only one who can play dumb and she ignores about the lesson I have been taught by the witch of the wild,” she took a deep breath remembering the night before the final battle. “I know it all, first they say they are your friend, then they push you into a corner and use you” Kallian shook her head “I sometimes like the darkspawns, they don’t pretend to be your friend before trying to stab you.”

Kallian stretched her arm and grabbed the wet cloth near the basin of water on the end table. She soaked it on the basin and grabbed the dripping tissue with one hand as she sat on the mattress near the unconscious man.

“See, I like to be underestimated. Now, imagine her face when in the morning I will announce your death between two sobs” she whispered near his ear.

“I would have liked to live happily ever after by your side, my heartless wolf, but unfortunately I am not as stupid as Huna seems to think,” Kallian said pinching the bridge of his nose and moving his head from side to side.

It was a great opportunity that Huna had offered her. Who would suspect her when they ignored the causes of his sudden illness? A soaked rag pressed on his nose and mouth for a few minutes and it was done. As easy as taking a cookie from a toddler.

“I would have said ‘see you in the afterlife’ but I know that we are not heading to the same destination” she whispered before closing the short distance between their two mouths and planting a wet kiss on his dry lips. It felt like she was compelled to do it, maybe it was a way to seal the gruesome deal or was it because she had never felt so close to him and his dishonorable ways than in this moment when she was about to cowardly kill an unconscious man.

 


	10. The illness and the cure

 Huna stood there under the scrutinizing stare of the ferocious guard waiting for her to let her into the room.

“I…I am sorry to bother you but my lady the Teyrna cannot skip a meal…it would put her in a ...terrible mood,” Huna said.

After lifting the covers on each plate to check what was inside, the tall woman finally said;

“You can enter for a moment, but if you dawdle inside I will come to drag you out. Understood?”

Huna nodded firmly and looked at the woman knocking three times on the door before opening it without giving the Teyrna the time to answer it. It was a provocation, a manner to say that she didn’t need Kallian’s permission to open the door of the Teyrn’s chamber.

Fortunately, Kallian was too absorbed by the book she was reading to even notice this blatant outrage. She barely glanced at Huna before returning her attention to her book.

Huna put the tray on the table and started arranging it for her mistress’s comfort until she heard the door behind her shutting.

“My lady?” Huna looked at Kallian who was still ignoring her presence.

“I didn’t expect to find this kind of book in his book collection” Kallian grinned lifting the book to show Huna the picture on the cover.

Huna glanced at the picture; a half-naked, muscular, blond man carrying a red-haired woman on his shoulder…Huna grimaced.

“If there are no pictures inside, the book doesn’t belong to him,” Huna said.

“Really?” Kallian was amused by Huna’s serious tone.

“women are more sensitive to words, where man are subjugated by images, you know what they say, this is why men always lie and  women cheat on their appearances” Huna explained, glancing at the unconscious man…Kallian repressed a laugh…Huna seemed worried. She probably had given him a double or triple dose of that trance-inducing drug and now she was wondering if it wasn't too much…Yet, something was quite odd, if she really wanted him dead, he would have been already dead and buried…but, it seemed that the servant wanted him just to be...sick...Huna will remain a mystery for Kallian.

It was mostly her curiosity that stopped her from finishing Loghain to regain her freedom…what would the plan, Huna was plotting,  look like?…moreover, the young woman had made her a promise she couldn’t get out of her head ‘bring him to his knees without using a sword’…

“What caused this, in your opinion?” Kallian asked pointing her finger to the sick man.

“I must admit that I totally igno…”

“Before you answer me, you should perhaps know that I have already witnessed situations like this when the dalish took some herbs to enter a Trance-like state…in his case it seems like a more severe form of intoxication…”Kallian said.

“I don’t understand…” Huna stared at Kallian…oh, boy, was she a good liar!

“Then, what if I call the physicians and the mages and tell them about my theory and let slip out the information that you come from an Avvar tribe that uses the same methods to communicate with the other world…” Kallian said.

Huna’s expression didn’t change, there was no fear, no surprise, no anger…nothings came to the surface.

“My lady, I am but your faithful maid…I fear that if you make such accusations towards me, the nobles would take advantage of this to neutralize a rising young elven Warden, for a servant always acts under the orders of her mistress” Huna explained calmly…

She was right, Kallian never thought about it, but if Loghain died the nobles would not miss the opportunity to take her down as well…it would be two birds with one stone…and Huna was for all of them nothing than a simple-minded servant as she let everybody think…

“Seems that we, also, are tied together for better or for worse…” Kallian shook her head…

“for better, my lady I assure you…I only want the best for you… the Teyrn sickness is a golden opportunity to show him how much of a loyal and tender wife you are, don’t waste it, my Lady,” the young servant hinted…Kallian chuckled. it was for this that she gave him the drug…so Kallian would appear as ‘the devoted wife’ and create a favorable climate for the blossoming of 'love', just like a scene coming directly out of one of those romance novels …it was a smart plan but was also showing that this woman would back down before nothing to achieve her goals…nothing.

 


	11. The pearls and the swine

He woke up alone and disoriented.

What day was it?…was it the morning or the afternoon? He didn’t even care…the only vivid memory he had a very strange dream…no, not a dream, it was more like a vision…he could feel it, still hear the screams and smell the sulfur…he remembered an old man who once told him ‘if you want to know what the after-life would be for you, look at your dreams’ and this particular dream depicted what he was already dreading.

He reached for the cup of water on the night shelf, but couldn’t grab it…someone put it away, and when he tried to move…he felt something on his left leg…he carefully touched it...two pieces of wood held with bandages, tightly gripping his leg…his leg was broken…when and how did this happen?

He shut his eyes… ‘the man who confuses good and evil…not a man, he is but a filthy animal that came out of a beast’s womb’… the taunting voice…the ugly laughter …he was expecting to see some familiar faces…his family…his friends…he saw none of this…just strangers…deformed faces and voices…scenes of torture and rivers of blood…a child surrounded by monsters begged him for help…he didn’t hesitate, he drew his sword and attacked the vile creatures…but ‘the child’ laughed at him revealing a set of sharp teeth and said ‘it is too late for this Loghain if you were this kind of man you wouldn't be here.’ then the creature pounced on him aiming to bite his neck while the other monsters he had brought down a moment ago came back to life and surrounded him…. Suddenly, a clear voice begged “one more chance for the man who bled for the people”… “One more chance for the child who witnessed the ugly work of demons” He then heard a loud crash and everything around him disappeared.

“Guard!” He yelled…there would surely be a guard posted at his door… “Guard!” no one answered… “Maid!” no maid come to him…he was alone…an old thing of the past that shouldn’t have survived to witness a new era….How dare they! Put him aside like a broken piece of furniture

He finally tossed the blanket aside and sat on the edge of the bed. He carefully moved his leg and reached for the cup of water…but it was empty…on the edge there was a pink mark…made by the lips of a woman…it was her…the damned elf wanted to kill him and take over…he threw the cup against the wall and cursed the whore that his daughter forced him to marry…he was the Teyrn and will always be the Hero of River Dane…no sneaky elf would purloin his position.

******************

 

The door opened and the elf holding a big tray came inside his room without even asking for permission…

“What are you doing, elf?” he did nothing to hide his animosity.

“It’s a relief to see you awake,” Kallian said with a little smile.

How much time did he spend unconscious? Loghain thought…not enough for this Harpy to start treating him like someone with a terminal illness…

“You fell from your horse, don’t you remember?” she said, putting the tray on the night shelf and sitting on a chair beside his bed.

“I don’t,” he said

“You had a fever and the physicians said they didn’t know what caused it…” Kallian said staring at him…it was very awkward.

“Well, I am fine now” he abruptly said…the last thing he needed was that people start treating him like a doddering old man.

“And I am still the Lord of this palace. Despite waking up with no servants and no guards to tend to me and not even a cup of water.” He glared at her.

Kallian was amused…and it made him even angrier.

She poured a cup of water that she handed him…

“I am sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up…but know that I have spent all night sitting at your bedside and one of your loyal guards didn’t move from her position outside your door until the morning” Kallian explained…the old man felt useless and abandoned when he didn’t get all the attention…typical.

“is that so” he coldly said…Kallian smiled, now the anger left the place to his usual composed and ‘confident’ self.

“I made you some vegetable soup and braised chicken” Kallian took the bowl, the spoon and … the elf was trying to feed him like a child!

“What are you doing?” he was half surprised half angry…why were sick old men so susceptible?

“I…thought that maybe you would prefer…” Kallian tried not to laugh at his offended expression. “Here, take this and eat while it is still warm” she finally said giving him the bowl of soup.

She watched as he carefully brought a half full spoon to his mouth…she observed his reaction…but nothing…the same cold expression as he kept eating.

“Is it good?” she finally asked…she was not fishing for compliments but she was the type that appreciated a little compliment after spending hours in the kitchen.

“It is different.” He said.

“Different?” she muttered.

“Different than any soup I have tasted,” he said…it was different he wasn’t lying…but he would never tell her that it was good, better than his mother’s soup….it was petty but he didn’t care.

“Alright,” she simply said…she didn’t need him to say it…his bowl was already half empty…he liked it…

She started cutting the chicken in the plate she had placed on the night shelf and  putting bite size pieces in his bowl…he didn’t object this time.

*********************

 

Kallian entered her room, slamming the door and startling Huna who was sitting there waiting for her…the warden took her shoes off and threw them one by one violently against the wall…

“Damn it!” she yelled.

“My lady?” Huna said with concern in her eyes.

“This old scoundrel!” Kallian shouted.

“Yes I was suspecting that it was about him…but could you please my lady calm down and tell me what happened?” Huna asked.

Kallian sat on the edge of her bed.

 

_After he finished eating, Kallian put the dirty dishes aside and took a wet cloth and handed it to him._

_Loghain looked at her, he seemed amused this time…_

_“Don’t push yourself too hard,” he said._

_“I…” he was talking about her taking care of him, “I am not, it is my duty as a wife and…” she didn’t finish her sentence, the sentence she had practiced for a long time and would use if Loghain get suspicious about her sudden tenderness, his laughter interrupted her…_

_“Really, elf? Those are the duties of a peasant’s wife, at most… you are merely stealing the work of the maids…a Teyrn’s wife is his associate, a woman as clever and authoritarian as him, but by all means, keep making soup,” he said with sarcastic notes in his voice…_

_Kallian said nothing…she walked to him with reassured steps and he held his breath, the elf was choleric and his cold blood allowed him to easily ridicule her but she was also very unpredictable…She simply tucked him in bed._

_“Rest well,”she said kissing his forehead and leaving him more surprised._

 

“You did the right thing, my lady!” Huna sheered

“What? I even regret giving food to this ungrateful pig,” Kallian said

“Your self-control was perfect!” Huna was still going into ecstasies over what Kallian did.

“Look…I don’t want to spoil your joy, but I think what I did for him was useless…we change the method perhaps?”

“Not at all, you go as natural as possible, you remember you cannot get offended because you are not in a relationship, you are hunting…strictness and abnegation will thrive…” Huna said.

She knelt before Kallian and put her hands on the elf’s shoulders, “and remember my lady, the more the beast feels trapped the more it will resist…this spitefulness is the very proof that what you did was far from useless” Huna whispered.

“Yeah, alright, I want an orange cake,” Kallian said

“Your wish is my command” Huna giggled.

 


	12. The fool

The elf wouldn’t give up…no matter how disagreeable or indifferent he tried to be, she kept returning every day with meals she had cooked specially for him. She would personally tend to his needs, put a pillow under his leg, help him find a comfortable position in bed and sit by him as he did his best to ignore her presence…she was persistent and more patient than he ever thought her to be. She was _the_ Warden after all…a woman that never let go, worse than a dog who found a bone…but why was she so obstinate to take care of him? The castle was big enough for them to keep living in it without even crossing paths…Nothing was forcing them to play house and pretend to be a married couple.

“I heard that you have touched the urn of sacred ashes…” he said one day to the elf sitting before him.

“Yes, I did.” She said.

Loghain put down the book he was pretending to read.

“Its powers, were they real?” he asked.

“Well, it had real powers but I doubt those powers have anything to do with Andraste” Kallian said.

“How did you reach this conclusion?” It was a question, not an accusation, and Kallian felt that she could be frank with him about this matter.

“You see, I had brought with me a dwarven warrior, Oghren, you know him…”

“The one that kept glaring at me and cursing?” Loghain said.

“Yes this one,” Kallian laughed, “he said, his senses were tingling, the mountain had a lot of lyrium on it... I mean a lot... and what kind of holly, sacred artifact would be guarded by abominations and demons?... The power came from the lyrium, that’s what I think” Kallian concluded.

“I see,” Loghain said. “But if you are not the religious type, why do you keep coming to me like this, playing the devoted wife?” Loghain stared at her…

She wasn’t expecting the conversation to go in this direction.

“I…I never said I wasn’t a believer, I only said that the urn of sacred ashes was a fraud” Kallian tried to explain. “Besides, religious or not, marriage is a sacred bond between two people and I agreed to marry you, it is not a game or something to be taken lightly” she added, looking him in the eye.

“Yet, you didn’t seem very enthusiastic about one particular aspect of marital life…” he hinted.

“I was merely surprised and my reflexes took over…the virgin’s reflexes…” Kallian said.

“Virgin’s reflexes…never heard about them” Loghain chuckled.

“I just invented the expression, to sum up, all the fears and apprehensions that are related to the first time and would make a person react in an odd or irrational manner,” Kallian said…it was more diplomatic than to say 'your touch made my skin crawl'…

“You don’t strike me as a fearful person…” Loghain insisted.

“I was not ready…and you promised to wait for me to be ready.”

“I promised nothing.” He shook his head.

“Would you wait for me to be ready?” it was useless to argue about the past if he promised now it would make her less stressed about him swooping on her like the last time.

“Who told you that I still want you, elf?” he grinned.

“What if I told you that I want you,” it was sweet to corner him and make his satisfied grin disappear.

“You think you can toy with me, elf?” soon, his spiteful tone and harsh glare made her regret…

Didn’t the witch of the wilds said that men were always ready to believe that a woman was attracted to them?...considering stupid generalizations made by a sociopath, that would teach her!

Without further hesitations, Kallain rose from her chair and started unbuttoning her dress under the incredulous stare of Loghain.

“What are you doing?” he was not amused.

What she was doing was a bluff, a risky bet…she needed to convince him that she was serious about “consummating” the wedding hoping that he would reject her offer…in fact, she was half certain he would decline…a man like him would always prefer to be on top, have the control, but with his broken leg, it would be impossible for him…this was the risky bet…

“I am not playing games…I am still not ready, but if you insist…” she said with a firm voice.

Kallian stripped to her underwear avoiding to look in the eyes of the man who was watching her…she slowly walked to his bed and sat on the edge, facing him….she could feel his breath on her bare shoulder…

Loghain looked at the half naked elf…her body, the shape of her breasts and her hips…enough to make any man lose his senses…but unfortunately for every bard and every gold-digger who tried this technique with him, it didn’t work… the warden didn’t seem like them, she was slightly trembling, out of breath, avoiding eye contact…but all those things could be feigned by a skillful experienced woman…

Kallian startled a little when she felt the man’s hand brushing her breasts before he put it carefully over them…it was a light touch…but even a warm hand felt so odd when touching this sensitive skin…

Her heart was pounding in her chest…he could feel it, almost hear the loud palpitations…this couldn’t be feigned nor the crimson color that tinted her skin…it was not excitation, it was embarrassment and apprehension…

Kallian shut her eyes tightly…it seemed that the bet she had made was more stupid than risky…of course the man would jump on this opportunity…

His hand carefully grabbed her breast band but he didn’t remove it…he pulled her closer and she felt his rough cheek against her own soft cheek as he whispered in her ear “are you sure?”…he wasn’t sarcastic… “I don’t know...” she whispered back…it wasn’t a lie…the whole situation felt like those stubbles pressed against her soft skin…uncomfortable yet so…good.

His other hand went lower and seized her hip as he slowly turned his face until their lips met…hers were already gaped... he easily captured her lower lip between his lips and gently sucked it. To his great satisfaction, she immediately reciprocated sucking his upper lip…he pulled her tighter into his embrace…and they kissed until Kallian’s lips felt sore from all the sucking and nibbling…she hadn’t imagined that it could even get better until she opened her mouth to catch her breath,a fraction of a second was sufficient for his tongue to insinuate into her eager mouth… she immediately started swirling her tongue around his…why was this simple action so exciting and dazzling?...she ignored it…the only thing she was sure of in this moment was the fact that she would be able to spend all the day just doing this…

Kallian threw her arms around the man’s neck and pulled him closer to deepen the kiss…her fingers running through his thick black hair and digging into his scalp…Loghain suppressed a laugh…the warden was dancing in the palm of his hand…so satisfying to see her like this…fooled by her own lack of restraint and ready to bend to his will…the girl was a natural, youth combined with hot blood...an explosive concoction.

Loghain tilted his head... with his hand on the back of her neck, he pulled her closer…was it deep enough for the warden?

Against all expectations, the young elf’s hands started caressing his neck, weaving inside his thin shirt to stroke his back and his chest…

Kallian felt two strong hands on her should pushing her away…she moaned at the loss of the sweet sensation and she instinctively tried to reach for his mouth again…but the hands maintained her in place…she mindlessly moaned eying his glistening lips…until she finally got back to her senses and rose her eyes to see the amused expression of the man who was literally keeping her at arm’s length…

“I have to rest, you may leave now” he simply said.

Kallian’s expression went from surprised to amused…she laughed and shook her head…

“as you wish she said” as she left his bed and walked to pick up her dress from the floor…she bent down…Loghain ignored if she did it on purpose but it made him already regret that he dismissed her so soon…

“Tomorrow, I will make you a blueberry pie” she smiled before leaving the room…

Would her kiss taste like blueberry tomorrow? He thought before he severely reminded himself that he was now a fifty years old Teyrn and not some adolescent peasant boy….


	13. The third player

« Cook for him, but do not return to his room »

This is what Huna said after Kallian told her what happened between her and Loghain…she did object…the man was almost in her grasp…but Huna simply said, “Who is in whose grasp, my lady?” And it did upset Kallian…the maid shouldn’t forget that she was _The_ Warden, a leader that had brought an unexpected victory to Ferelden against the blight… “You are a great warrior, I have no doubt about it…but please let me guide through this impasse”

Huna had to consider other elements, the warden was a young woman and Loghain was not a repulsive man…she was yearning for the new sensations and he soon will be playing her like an instrument…

“Did you notice the walls of this palace my lady?” Huna asked the sulking warden.

“They are walls…” she muttered.

“In every room and every hallway there is a painting of his wife…it is like she wasn’t dead…she is not dead in this palace, at least…and she is still the only mistress of this domain…the only Teyrna” Huna stared at Kallian. “you want to have fun with him…go ahead my lady, who am I to forbid you from doing so…but you have to keep in mind…you will be no better than a mistress…an elven whore” Huna saw Kallian’s face hardening and how all her longing for pleasure disappeared.

“What can I do about it?” Kallian asked, “she is the mother of his queen daughter and the only woman he deemed worthy to become his wife,” The more Kallian thought about it the more she felt the need to run away from this place.

“follow my instructions and when he will become too impatient…when he will lay all his weapons before you…then you will ask him to choose, between a dead cold ghost and a living breathing young woman” Huna said.

“It will not work…she is…” Kallian seemed more pessimistic than ever…

“she is dead…dead and buried, two years ago” Huna insisted “and my lady Hero of Ferelden is the kind of woman that makes Loghain loses his head, a strong hot headed warrior…not some old bookkeeper he choose to do the paperwork in his absence and who never left the comfort of her palace”

“You are so mean!” Kallian laughed. “I trust you... anyway, you are right... I will never let him touch me while the portraits of this woman are still hanging on every wall,” she added

“Wise words, my lady” Huna smiled.

************

Loghain waited for her but she never returned…she sent him the meals she cooked for him with a maid…if he cared a little more about her he would have felt concerned…but now, all he felt was anger and disbelief…he was angry because of those whorish games she was playing with him…disbelief, for he was certain that she was a virgin, a hot-blooded eager virgin, yet she was plotting like an old whore…baiting him...something was not right…there was someone else involved in this matter… a third player… and he was determined to discover their identity.

The next day, he summoned his seneschal.

“Is the warden receiving letters?” he asked.

“Yes, your grace…” the seneschal seemed a bit surprised. “Mostly from her family members and her friends…”

“From now on, bring me the letters she receives” he said…the other man seemed choked…even him was choked by his own obsession concerning this subject…but he had to know.

“And seneschal, who is the maid that the warden choose as her ‘personal advisor’?”

The seneschal couldn’t help but smile.

“My lord, she is an absent-minded young woman that drives the head servant mad with her idiocy” he said.

“When did she start working here?” Loghain asked.

“Teyrna Celia choose her with some other new girls, three years ago” the seneschal answered.

Well, so typical of Kallian to choose a simple minded human servant to become her confidant…he remembered the Orlesian bard she befriended during the blight…the elf was so clueless.

“You can leave now,” Loghain sighed…it was not today that he was going to unveil the secret of her strange behavior…

The seneschal was on his way out when someone knocked on the door…

“Come in,” Loghain answered quickly…too quickly…he was still hoping that she would come.

He saw his seneschal bowing his head when the door opened…it was her…he swiftly erased his satisfied smile as she entered the room.

“How are you feeling today?” she said.

“Fine.” He said coldly.

She took a chair and sat beside him as usual…

“What do you want?” he said.

“Nothing, I came to keep you company, as usual” she answered with an innocent smile.

“Did you have a busy schedule those last few days?” he taunted.

“No, I didn’t feel like coming to see you” she said…her frankness was revolting.

“So why did you come today?” his irritated tone was barely hidden. “I warned you about playing games, elf”

“elf…yes, that is right…I am an elf, and you are Loghain Mac Tir, I sometimes forget it…but, do me a favor and never forget about this even when I cross the limits” Kallian did her best to look as angry as possible…Loghain was not a stupid man…he needed a reason for her mood swings…better to think she was the victim of an internal struggle taking place inside her heart than to begin suspecting her or Huna.

He kept silent…looking at the window…it was like receiving a bucket of ice-cold water in the face…it woke him…he was not anymore the Hero of River Dane, now everybody was calling him the traitor behind his back…and even if it seemed easy to forget about all this when he was so far from Denerim…he knew that Kallian would never forget…they said that she had rescued her father, at the very last moment, from the slave merchants…how did he forget about it…

“It is better if I leave now, I think,” Kallian said.

“stay a little longer” he said without looking at her…


	14. The horse and the carrot

What made a good strategist? Their capacities to analyze the whole situation and study the probabilities…what made a brilliant strategist? Their capacities to anticipate what hadn’t occurred yet...what had zero chances to occur…They were able to perceive the situation on a whole different level, another dimension…much like a shaman who would enter into a trance to communicate with the other worlds…it was not only about pure logic, it was also about intuition and following your gut feeling… It was what caused Loghain’s disgrace, his plan could have perfectly worked, he had anticipated every problem, neutralizing the king's powerful advisors, the other Tyren, the king’s uncle and the Arl of the Denerim, the capital…if only he had been able to feel the blight coming or to question himself, why no Archdemon had ever died before the creation of the Grey Wardens…he would have probably changed his plan a little bit…

Huna was staring out the window at the odd couple…Loghain was teaching the Hero of Ferelden how to ride a horse, under the barely dissimulated astonishment of the stable workers and servants present in the courtyard…The Teyrna was about to be born… it might be a trying and long delivery but Huna was confident, to a certain point…Logically, nothing could go wrong…but, was it wise to ignore that bad feeling she started to have about this whole thing….and more importantly, was it worth it?

Sometimes, Huna would feel guilty… Using the young elf would have been easier if only the man involved was not Loghain Mac Tir… the more she succeeded in convincing Kallian that the man was not much different from any man the more her guilt grew bigger…He was worse than any other man…from what she had heard about him, Huna knew that there was no chance to win his heart, simply because he didn’t possess one…this might sound cliché and exaggerated but it was not. Long ago, Huna had concluded that the man didn’t feel the normal sentiments like others did… people for him were pawns, and when it comes to close relationships, whether it was friendship or love, the man would get obsessed over certain individuals, a king, for example, or better, the woman who was supposed to marry this king… although she never told Kallian about what she knew about him from fear to scare away an already hesitant virgin, indeed, the man was twisted not only on a battlefield but also when it comes to intimate matters… Huna, and from the moment she saw the young elf, she knew that she had her chances…Loghain was already obsessed with her, The warden, the anti-him, his enemy who haunted him for a year then became the only shield protecting him from the angry fereldan and the vengeful nobles…she only had to turn this hateful obsession into an ‘I must have her’ kind of obsession…it was easy enough to achieve even for an Alienage’s elf…not any kind of Alienage elf though, the man had sold them to Tevinter, it revealed what he already thought about them…but little Warden would be a surprise for him…an honest, honorable, good looking and strong maiden…light attracted darkness or so they said...

*********

“I am exhausted!” Kallian said as she let herself fall on the large bed.

“I will start preparing a hot bath for you, my lady” Huna rose from the chair next to the window, where she would usually sit waiting for Kallian.

“Wait,” Kallian raised herself up on her elbows. “Tell me what do you think about what happened lately”

“It’s a good thing for our plan,” Huna said abruptly.

“He likes to play the schoolmaster, commanding and ordering me around…I regret accepting his offer to teach me how to ride…” Kallian muttered.

“We do not have another option, you have to learn horse riding, anyway…and haven’t you noticed, my lady, a shift in the domestics’ behavior toward you?”

“Really?” Kallian asked with interest.

“Of course, they are more polite towards me and they bow their heads lower now when they walk by you…fear of the growing power of the Teyrna is stronger than their respect for the warden who saved Ferelden”

Kallian sighed and laid back on the mattress.

Two knocks on the door.

Kallian looked at Huna, who would come at this hour? Certainly not a maid.

“Come in,” Kallian said.

And Loghain stepped inside the room…Huna immediately rose from her chair to bow in front of him before rushing outside.

Kallian felt tense…did he get impatient and came to ask for his due?

She looked at the man as he took a seat in front of her bed, she moved quickly and sat on the mattress facing him.

“How do you feel about our daily lessons, warden?” The man asked.

“I feel stiff and aching, nothing I can’t handle,” she said trying to sound as jaded as possible.

“this is not what I meant…Do you think that I am too harsh?” he said leaning forward, observing her reaction…Kallian blinked several times…how was she supposed to answer this? The man was a war criminal and a traitor who tried for a year to assassinate her, and he was asking if he was too harsh because he yelled at her a couple of times…The situation was getting more and more insane.

“maybe a little bit…Look, Loghain, you are demanding that I master a new skill in a few days…and you get so frustrated when I fail to do it…I feel frustrated myself…”Kallian tried to explain.

“I wanted you to learn to ride and learn it as fast as possible because I am planning on taking you on a hunting trip…but you have a small frame, you can ride with me on the same horse,”

“You want us to go on a trip?”

“Yes, you have been trapped inside those walls for too long, young women need fresh air” he explained.

“Alright, when should we depart?” she carefully asked.

“Tomorrow morning if you feel ready,”

“Tomorrow, then” she hesitated but, why not?

“Take only what is necessary and don’t forget your bow,”

“I suck at archery,” Kallian yelled at him as he was about to open the door.

“I will teach you, then,” he said…Kallian laughed and would have sworn that she had glimpsed at him smiling before he left.


	15. The blood of the deer

Huna woke up late this morning, she sat on her bed and looked around her. Months ago Kallian had insisted that her personal handmaid should have a room of her own and not sleep with the other maids in the dormitory…Huna didn’t really care about where she slept, but if giving her a room helped Kallain to affirm her authority as a Teyrna, it was good enough…four days had passed since the warden went on a hunting trip with Loghain…kallian believed that the man was grateful for the attention she gave him when he was bedridden…it would have been cruel to remind the young elf that gratitude was a foreign sentiment for the man who fed the son of the man who gave him all he had to the darkspawns and tried hard to murder the other.

So why this sudden trip? Huna’s first guess had been that the man sought to isolate the young woman and observe her comportment to be sure that her behavior toward him was not the result of the advices of a third party…it was a plausible reason, the other theory would be that he wanted to spend time alone with his wife as any man would…but he wasn’t any man.

Huna appreciated the alone time that this room provided her, no one to pester her or order her around… Kallian’s ascension was beneficial for her after all.

 

Huna had spent those last four days meditating, when she wasn’t perfecting the plan she found herself roaming the sinister hallways of the castle, she could barely believe that she had already spent three years in this prison… she had started serving in the castle shortly before the former Teyrna get sick and after her death, she had chosen to stay and keep serving in this house.

 

In the afternoon, she heard the servants' movements hastening outside her room, and she knew the Teyrn was back.

Huna sneaked into Kallian’s room to wait for her, hoping that she won’t be accompanied.

Huna welcomed Kallian with a big smile, even if she hated to admit it to herself, she had missed this elf.

“Welcome back, your grace,”

Kallian smiled back and put down her luggage and bow at the foot of the bed. She laid on her bed and sighed.

“I must admit, it is good to find this comfortable mattress,” Kallian said, watching Huna unpacking her belongings and putting the bow back into the wooden box.

“You are tanned, my lady,” Huna stopped and stared at Kallain.

“Really?” Kallian frowned and rushed to the dressing table to see her reflection in the big mirror.

“Nah, it’s not too obvious,” Kallian said inspecting her face.

“Now, you are a true lady afraid to get too tanned and look like a peasant,” Huna teased.

“Being an elf is enough trouble, let me at least keep a slightly fair skin,” Kallian laughed.

“Did you catch something?” Huna asked.

“After many efforts, I was able to catch a rabbit,” Kallian said, “but he caught a deer, we still have plenty of salted meat….there is some in my bag, I kept it for you,”

A pinch in the heart made Huna remember how similar Kallian was to that boy, beautiful inside and outside and sometimes so clueless… She shouldn’t have such thoughts, it could weaken her resolve.

 “I hope that the deer is the only thing he was able to catch my lady,” Huna hinted,

“No, in fact, he had…” Kallian understood the meaning of Huna’s words and burst into laughter but didn't answer the question...

“Tell me, did something noticeable happen?” Huna asked.

“Nothing worth mentioning,” Kallian said.

Huna’s eyes narrowed, the warden was too evasive, she was talkative and liked to complain, it was hard to believe that four days and nights with Loghain were not worth mentioning.

“Really? I am surprised,” Huna said.

“Just take the meat I saved for you and prepare yourself some food, you look pale,” Kallian’s attempt to change the subject worried Huna…did the warden gave up to his charms? Or worse, she could have uncovered their plan and confirmed the man’s suspicions….

“Does our plan still stands?” Huna asked.

“Of course it still stands… now, I was to rest before supper,” Kallian said as she started undressing.

 

***********

 

In the evening, Huna caught sight of Loghain heading to the dining room…He only took supper there when he was waiting for Kallian to join him… she had to ‘keep an ear’ on this conversation, if Kallian wasn’t going to tell her what happened, she would have to discover it by herself.

 

Huna stayed near the Kitchen and when she saw the servants rushing to the dining room with the dishes, she knew that Kallian had already joined him.

********

 

“Sleeping in the same tent, how is it different from sharing the same bed?” Loghain asked and Huna’s heart sunk…kallian had fucked up the plan, now she had to come up with a new tactic, Huna, hiding near the second door of the dining room pinched the bridge of her nose and shut her eyes tightly, it was going to take an eternity for her now to put together another plan.

“In the wilderness, we were just a man and a woman, equals and complimentary, two shipwrecked on a desert island, free to do anything…Here, there are the portraits of your wife telling me that I am a stranger in this castle and that she is still the lady of the house… and I do not like to feel like I am a mistress,” Kallian explained with an emotional tone.

Loghain kept silent for a moment and Huna wished she could take a glimpse at the expression on his face, now. Kallian was cleverly leading him where she wanted…the warden was not unintelligent, after all, and nothing was lost even if the plan had not been respected.

“This house is still hers and I am only a prisoner inside it,” Kallian added.

“You made your point,” Loghain said coldly and Huna heard the sound of a chair moving…He was leaving the table… she quickly took her leave before being spotted.

The coming days would be decisive and so very interesting, the maid, thought.


	16. The unforgiven

Kallian finished her supper and went upstairs to her room.

His reaction to the words she spoke tonight would determine the future of this ‘relationship’…

_Four days ago:_

After dinner, they sat silent around the camp fire. They had fought and laughed together, today. He had caught a big rabbit and a fox and she caught nothing but a few mushrooms and some extra unpleasantness…She was a city girl at heart and even though she had been forced to leave in the wilderness for almost a year during the blight, she never liked ths kind of life added to that her incapacity to catch her food, she would have to live eating berries and praying that they were not poisonous…

“What’s on your mind?” Loghain asked after Kallian let out a heavy sigh.

“I was thinking about today, I have been useless…I am not accustomed to that,” the warden said.

“You battled against darkspawns for a year and slain an Archdemon, you can afford to be useless for a while,” Loghain said.

It was getting darker, they have already pitched their tents and soon they would go to sleep.

“Anyway, I enjoy being here surrounded by nature,” she lied.

“Glad to hear it,” Loghain looked intensely at the smiling elf… she was a normal girl, after all…the Warden that had driven him mad for a year was only a girl, trying not to offend a suitor and telling him that she enjoyed their date… she took the pain to lie, it was a good sign…Anora had forced them both into this marriage… ‘The warden is a fair maiden, father, take her to Gwaren and enjoy life far from political matters,’ his daughter had said… This union was not only meant to shield him from the anger of the Lords and the people but it was also a bait to keep him away from the throne problems…he was neither trusted nor admired anymore and he had to stay here until his death…They were prisoners, both of them, so why not enjoying this captivity a little bit.

“I have a question if you allow,” Kallian voice broke the silence.

“Yes,” Loghain said

“Why did you fight the Orlesians?” Kallian asked looking the man in the eyes.

“Is this a serious question?” Loghain’s eyebrow raised.

“well, I heard that you were the son of a prosperous farmer, and were not living in poverty or had nothing to lose…I don’t want to be rude, but I am certain you are not the kind of man to sacrifice everything and be moved by the suffering of your other countrymen… a man who takes arms against an invader is either animated by a deep love toward his people or by a great hatred against his enemy and no matter how I look into it, love doesn’t seem to be your thing,” Kallian explained…She ignored why she had to ask this question and spoil the mood…

Loghain kept staring at her, was she smart or simply intuitive? Either way, she was not a fool…it was infuriating and pleasing at the same time…a woman who was so different from him would flee as soon as she understood his nature, yet this one was sticking around…

“What do you know about love, warden?” he eluded the question.

“I know that a man who says that he is animated by love toward his country wouldn’t have killed and tortured more of his countrymen than the darkspawns… and I am not talking about elves, I know that we have never been fereldan and will never be,” Kallian said.

“Only the maker can judge the decisions I had to take to keep this country safe,” Loghain spat, glaring at her with his cold stare.

“I agree and I would have been more than glad to send you to him,” Kallian smiled.

Didn’t they say that the firelight made everything look romantic? Even death glares and barely hidden animosity…

“Unfortunately for you, you lost the duel,” Loghain reminded her.

“You are not going to answer the initial question, are you?” Kallian insisted.

“Some Orlesian officers killed my mother, is it enough to despise them or not, warden?” Loghain finally said.

“If you are waiting for my sympathy and total understanding you will wait for long, it is nobody else’s fault that you became so hateful and vengeful,” Kallian said…

Loghain’s reaction was as cold as Kallian imagined,

“Hateful and vengeful?...is that so? Then, why are you here with me in the middle of nowhere?” his tone was menacing, seeking to frighten her,

“My mother was killed by fereldans, should I have killed them all, or better, let you and the darkspaws do this job?” Kallian’s short temper was finally showing through sarcasm…

“Is it a contest to determine the most righteous of us? You already think that you have won, but let me remind you that I am a Teyrn and my daughter is the wise Queen of this country while you are nothing more than an elf wearing the gray warden’s armor and whose family is probably begging for food in Denerim streets,” he meant to be sarcastic…but Kallian was not laughing.

The elf rose violently after a moment of silence and went to her tent… Loghain kept a stern face until she had left and then he just shut his eyes tightly, pressing his thumb and forefinger against his eyes…damn her, she had spent the entire night insulting him and now she was acting all offended…fuck her, he rose and went to his tent.

*****

The next morning Kallian woke up early and went to the river to wash …she had the growing desire to take her belongings and just flee, leave this place and leave this trap…she was lost in her thoughts when her foot slipped and she found herself inside the deep water of the flowing river…

She struggled, trying to find foothold but there was none…it was too deep…Kallian panicked as the flow pushed her further from the bank and she didn’t even know when she had started screaming calling for a help who never came…he was going to let her die, without any doubts, it was her last thought before she lost consciousness.

When she opened her eyes she was inside her tent, naked under two blankets…She was freezing, the cold water of the river it seemed like it had infiltrated her skin and chilled her to the bones.

After a moment, Loghain came inside the tent and handed her a cup of hot tea, it didn’t smell very nice but Kallian took it without a word. She tried to calm her shattering teeth and took a sip…he looked at her for a moment and then left…it was better like this, she had no desire to speak to him.

She slept till afternoon and went she felt warm enough she left her tent, he was outside, guarding her...or was the fire camp he kept staring at, this interesting?

She sat beside him, enjoying the warmth…

“So how does it feel to save the life of the warden you have tried so desperately to kill for a year?” she had no intentions to thank him for saving her life, anyway.

“I didn’t save the warden, I saved my wife,” he said without looking at her.

Kallian wasn’t expecting this answer…

“Are you aware that we are married, now? The outside world sees us as one, I am the husband of the alienage’s elf and you are the wife of the traitor, they won’t miss an occasion to remind us of this, so let us avoid insulting each other for now on,” His voice sounded sincere and his eyes looked clear…Kallian couldn’t help but nod and lower her head…she was the one who started the animosity, last night, stirring the old hatred and yet she was accusing him of being a resentful bastard…How ironic.

The next days were nicer and calmer, the conversations lighter and the laughter more sincere… In the last night Kallian invited him to her tent…it had started with a kiss that she initiated…Huna would have disapproved, but he had already acknowledged her as his wife and it was the last day of this trip, they wouldn’t do anything that would make her unable to ride on a horseback… Huna would have said “we stick to our initial plan…” but Kallian had never planned anything in her life, she did whatever she figured had to be done every day and it had worked so far.

 

 


	17. The thin line

It had been a week since they came back from their little trip…and it had, also, been a week since they had spoken to each other…

Huna felt Kallian’s tension grow bigger… the warden had told her ‘we did something, but not the thing, so, our initial plan still stands.’ She was comforting herself, now that Loghain was ignoring her, Huna had thought but she had smiled confidently and said ‘You will become the Teyrna, my lady, I promise you, you will not know a single defeat as long as I am by your side.’ So reassuring to hear this bold promise, especially for a woman who had only met people who were so quick to throw all their problems on her thin shoulders… but somehow Kallian’s skin had crawled when she heard those words…Something in Huna’s tone, her smile and her eyes wasn’t right…

*******

In the morning of the seventh day, Huna woke up, as usual, she dressed and headed to the kitchen to bring Kallian her breakfast…They had disappeared…all the portraits of the deceased Teyrna had been removed from the walls. Loghain most have ordered some servants to do it when everybody was sleeping… a careful and somehow diplomatic move, Kallian might think that it was cowardly and insincere, but Huna felt her heart swelling with joy and pride…The portraits of that woman had been discarded late at night like some garbage… and soon it would be as if she had never existed…

******

Kallian sat on her bed, her face swollen and her hair messy… she stared through one half opened eye at Huna buttering a slice of freshly baked bread before handing it to her…

“I had a nightmare,” Kallian said.

“One of those with darkspawns?” Huna asked.

“No, I dreamed that I was pregnant and Loghain chased me away from this castle and tried to kill me,” Kallian said.

“He was chasing you away or trying to kill you?” Huna asked.

“I don’t know, it was a frigging dream,” Kallian shouted.

“I didn’t mean to anger you,” Huna repressed a smile…it was funny to tease the warden especially when she was like this… “But my lady, how can you be pregnant in your dream? You said nothing serious happened, and wardens cannot have children,”

“A dream Huna, a dream is not meant to be logical or realistic,”

A warrior trying to explain the concept of a dream to a shaman, Huna couldn’t help but laugh.

“You are too much for me, how can you be so joyful this early in the morning?”

“my lady, you are afraid that after the Teyrn had examined the ‘goods’ close up, he is now thinking that it is not worth the trouble…” Huna handed Kallian her tea.

“He examined nothing, I didn’t even fully undress,” Kallian’s irritated tone uncovered her deepest fear…what if Huna was right?

“He took them down,” Huna finally said with a smile.

“What…who took down what?”

“Loghain removed his deceased wife’s portraits…all of them,” Huna said with a triumphant tone.

“Not before time!” Kallian shouted happily and relaxed on the bed chewing enthusiastically on her toast.

 

 

Huna waited until Kallian finished her breakfast.

“Are you ready now,” the maid asked handing the warden a wet cloth to wash her hands.

“Ready for what?”

“To keep your side of the bargain,” Huna hinted.

“I don’t know if I am…”

“My lady, I could barely restrain you from him those last weeks…what have changed?”

“I don’t…look it is not some kisses and caresses, it will be the real deal and I am…” Kallian took a deep breath, she was the warden, and she had faced death many times, but to cross this thin line with this man, it meant that there was no going back and that they would truly become united as husband and wife…

“What’s the next step? Should I go visit him in his room?” Kallian asked…Huna ignored the uneasiness in Kallian’s voice.

“Certainly not! You are going to wear something nice and let me do your hair, and instead of spending the day in your room, you are going to take a walk in the castle and the garden, then when you will come across him, a charming smile and a meaningful gaze are more than enough to make a smart man like him understand that he is welcome in your room,”

“…yeah, but what kind of meaningful gaze?” Kallian asked hesitantly.

“I knew you will say this, my lady…” Huna smile, grabbing a hand mirror, “we are going to practice, this” she added, handing the warden the mirror.

 

 

 


	18. The tricksters

Kallian was sitting at her dressing table, contemplating her reflexion on the mirror while Huna brushed her hair.

“Do you think I have gained some weight?” Kallian asked.

“Yes, a little…your cheeks seem fuller now,” Huna said.

“That’s perfect! I have never been able to gain weight before,”

“The old legend says that the weight of a married woman increases if her husband is…hum…skillful,” Huna smirked.

“Well it has only been four months since we…you know, and if pleasure does really make women fatter in a year I won’t be able to get through the door,” Kallian laughed…She liked to brag about it or talk about her new situation and Huna would listen carefully trying always to slow down the excited newly deflowered bride…but it was not simple.

“My lady, can I ask you about a personal matter?”

“Yes?”

“Do you have any aristocrat friends who can come and visit you?” Huna asked.

“…I know some who are grateful to me after I helped them during the blight, plus Eamon’s brother who always look at me strangely…but no one of them would agree to come to this castle and guess why?

“Loghain,”

“Yes, exactly,” Kallian laughed “I swear some of them would prefer to take poison than put a foot inside this man’s property,” Kallian sighed… “But why are you asking?”

“May I speak freely, my lady?” Huna said.

“Oh please, come on!” Kallian rolled her eyes, it was really tiresome to pretend they are some regular lady and her handmaid…as much as pretending that she and Loghain were a normal ‘young’ couple…

“I want to find something or someone that can distract you from him, my lady, if you keep giving him such attention and focusing on this newly consumed union, he is going to feel stifled or indifferent sooner or later and this can create a problem since we are playing the mystery card to keep him always intrigued and obsessed with you.” Huna tried to explain, but judging by the look on Kallian’s face it wasn’t going to be easy.

“But you told me to act as natural as possible…” Kallian stuttered, she was not even aware that she was looking so eager and desperate to feel like a normal bride.

“Yes I told you to act natural but I didn’t know that you would literally act like a puppy…It is called a honeymoon, it is not supposed to last for four moons and you are no supposed to act so lowly and submissive forgetting that the man was about to sell your family like vulgar cattle…” Huna didn’t finish her sentence when she found herself pushed against a wall, Kallian had her forearm pressed against the servant’s throat…it was going to be a long day.

“you are playing me, Huna or whatever your real name is, you are trying to render me crazy…Are you his accomplice?” the warden was not joking anymore…her eyes were filled with rage…the blind anger that made her lose in the first place…how could a ferocious woman like her act so docile when she was with him?

“I am going to use some bold words my lady and I hope you would forgive me for it…” Huna managed to say with the warden’s forearmed still pressed against her throat, “If you were of noble birth and had married him after he came to ask for your hand with boxes loaded with gold, I would say that acting like you do would not lessen your value, but alas, you are born in an Alienage and were destined for a life of servitude, fortunately your stars shine brightly and you became his equal and forced the respect of the entire Thedas…Now what I am saying is that your place is not at his feet helping him take off his boots…” Huna said calmly.

Kallian took two steps backward and let go of Huna , “…it only happened once…he said he was tired so I helped him,” Kallian muttered…

Good! Huna thought, she now had to understand how to keep the balance for two reasons; first one, Loghain would really lose interest in her if she would give him all her affection because, well, that’s what scoundrels do…the second one, Kallian shouldn’t fall for this man or create any special bond with him…it would be better for what was going to happen next.

“I am sorry my lady,” Huna said, putting her hand on Kallian’s shoulder.

“No you don’t have to be sorry…you are right, I was acting like…like a dumb elf…” Kallian laugh was forced and sounded like a sob…she startled a little when Huna hugged her from behind, resting her head in Kallian’s shoulder and whispering “You were acting like a woman who is unable to keep hatred and vengeance in her heart…it is a good thing but you should not give that which is holy to the dogs for they would trample it and turn against you…”

Kallian put her hand on the arms around her and asked, “What does it mean?”

“It means that you should not give something precious to someone who would be unable to understand or appreciate it and it would have the opposite effect and make them hate you more,” Huna whispered.

“You are a ray of sunshine, aren’t you?” Kallian sighed and felt the vibrations from Huna’s torso against her back as the woman tried to muffle her laughter.

After a moment Huna released Kallian from the tight embrace and said, “Now my lady let us write the weekly letter for her Majesty Queen Anora,”

“Just remind me why I have to write to this bitch when she is not even responding most of the times?”

“Because when your stepdaughter happens to be the queen of the country, you must become, best friends and “confidantes”” Huna smirked.

“Yeah, of course, I am sure she is as eager as I am to entrust me with all her little secrets,” Kallian said sarcastically.

“We do not need her secrets Warden, we only need her to accept your invitation and come here to Gwaren…” Huna took a deep breath “and then, you will become acknowledged by all Fereldan nobles as the new Tyrna,” Huna lied with a perfect charming smile on her lips.


	19. The wife

Loghain knocked two times on the door then opened it without waiting for permission.

Kallian was sitting on her bed sharpening one of her twin blades…It brought memories, not the most agreeable ones. He would lately forget who she really was…she had been so sweet when he was resting his head on her chest or talking about childhood memories… when they were alone sharing a meal or a bath, for him she was not the Warden…This marriage would not have been possible if she wasn’t the mighty Warden, yet it would have been impossible to feel so relaxed and elated in her company if she was still the Warden… So humble and easy going, sometimes childish and pouty but still she had nothing in common with the Warden…and he dreaded the moment when the spell would break and he would find himself facing the harpy inside her…But wasn’t it the same for her too? He thought, Kallian must be afraid too to awaken the monstrous man who would plan murder and slavery with a disturbing serenity…at the end of the day, they were the same, two enemies trying to put the warrior inside them aside to be able to enjoy this forced marriage.

“Loghain? Is there something…?” Kallian tried to look surprised.

“I was going to ask the same question,” he said looking calmly around him and noticing that the warden had taken all her weapons and armors out of their boxes.

“I am maintaining those babies to keep them in shape, just in case,” she smiled… Huna had remained her of who she was…she was not a spoil of war or a lowly servile elf, she was the warden and she would never forget it.

“Did you receive a letter about any recent attacks of Darkspawns?” He tried to look concerned even if he knew she had received no such letters since he was keeping a close watch on her correspondence.

“No,”  Kallian shook her head and laughed, “Frankly, I must be yearning for some action, you know, we Grey Wardens have special blood,” She might not be a blue-blooded woman, but he had to keep in mind that her blood was special and her powers couldn’t be purchased even with gold.

“I see, anyway, I didn’t mean this, when I asked you,” he pointed at the blades surrounding her, “I was wondering is there something keeping you from coming to visit me those last days?” He said looking at her face…He really ignored what was going on in this little beautiful head.

Kallian blinked several times then put her dagger on the mattress beside her.

“It had been brought to my attention that it was quite rude when a wife visits her husband’s chamber uninvited, it should always be the other way around especially if he is working all day long and…” Kallian took a deep breath “I think it’s fair,”

Loghain stared at Kallian’s embarrassed smile, she looked sincere,

“I ignore who told you this but I advise you to never listen to that person again,” Loghain crossed his arms over his chest…Kallian laughed, he didn’t seem to appreciate anyone interfering in his private matters…if only he would know…

“Don’t you have late work to do?” Kallian pressed her palms on the mattress and leaned back to look at the standing man in front of her.

“I have plenty of work to do,” He answered.

“Do you want me to keep you company?”

“As always,” he said.

Despite what the people on the castle were thinking, the warden and Loghain didn’t spend all their nights copulating like two wild warriors…whenever she went to his room and he wasn’t in the mood or had extra paperwork to do, he wouldn’t chase her away…she would lay on the bed reading one of his books if he was sitting at the desk working, they would speak if he had no papers to check or simply lay together until sleep came… there were things, too intimate, between a husband and a wife that it felt indecent to just go and tell Huna about them.

************

Kallian was laying on Loghain’s big bed, reading a new book he chose for her when she heard him sigh for the third time in a half hour.

“Is there a problem?” She asked, staring at him…he had those bizarre, yet charming two glasses hanging on his nose’s bridge and he was frowning while reading documents before him.

“Problems and more problems since I came here,” he said taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes…she never heard him complain before.

“it is normal, we had a blight and a civil war, so I guess, more theft, murders, and more orphans and widows everywhere,” Kallian shifted to a sitting position and put her book aside.

“And you are thinking that it is all my fault,” his sounded more tired than angry.

“It is your fault, it is not a personal conviction, it is a simple fact,” Kallian said.

“Does the Warden still think that I should have been executed?” he chuckled.

“She does…but your wife will have your back no matter what,” Kallian said trying to formulate her messy thoughts clearly.

Loghain stared at her for a while then he nodded…He understood what she meant.

“And try to be lenient with the thieves who stole from your proprieties,” Kallian added.

“So others will think that it is all right to come and steal from the weak Teyrenir,” Loghain said with a sarcastic tone.

“besides being the morally right thing to do, keep in mind that now, you need to have the sympathy of your people because they are already scared to death and resentful toward you…so let us not reach the ‘pitchforks and torches’ stage, huh?” Kallian said.

Loghain laughed and it made her smile…it was good to make a man like him laugh.

“You are maybe right, Warden,” he said putting back his glasses.

“Call me wife,” Kallian smirked.

“I almost forget to tell you, today I received an invitation for us to attend the commemoration of our victory against the blight, Anora insists that we must be present,” Loghain said.

“It has been a year already,” Kallian whispered…Loghain didn’t respond and he decided to ignore the sad tone in his wife’s voice…it was painful and chaotic times for everyone, and he was more responsible for what happened than the Archdemon itself.


	20. The Husband and the friend

 

Kallian leaned back in the divan. Her feets were resting on Huna’s lap as the young maid massaged them…

“It had been a rough journey, my lady,”

“Not the journey itself, but walking from the royal palace to the memorial wearing high heels was a torture,” Kallian closed her eyes, appreciating the massage.

“Did you have the time to visit your family in Denerim?”

“of course I visited them…My father asked me about my health and if I was all right but as usual he just chose to conceal the fact that I was married to Loghain Mac Tir as he always treats the grave matters, he push them under the carpet and act as if it had never happened,” Kallian remembered her father’s behavior after her mother’s death, whenever it was too hard to deal with, he would just dismiss it.

“And the Queen?” Huna asked carefully.

“Well, we had a good conversation, but she didn’t seem very warm concerning a future visit to Gwaren,” Kallian said.

“Ah, it is unfortunate that…” Huna tried to hide her disappointment.

“until I told her how beneficial her visit would be to restore her father’s reputation and power…and since she knew that she cannot distance herself from him, she accepted, so she would visit us as soon as she would be able to spare a few days,” Kallian smirked as she announced the good news to Huna.

Huna let go of Kallian’s feet and she grabbed her head and pressed a kiss on her forehead…kallian laughed, it was amusing to see Huna as excited…even if Anora’s visit wasn’t as important as the young maid thought.

 

 

Loghain heard the laughter of the two women coming from inside the room and he rushed to open the door without bothering with knocking. 

He slowly walked to the divan glaring at the maid who had Kallian’s feet on her lap and didn’t seem pressed to move…the young woman bowed her head but kept sitting until he hissed “leave us,”

He kept glaring at her until she left the room.

“Are you trying to frighten my maid?” Kallian was amused.

“a Teyrna cannot become friends with a servant,” he said trying to hide his jealousy…Kallian would have been angry with him if she hadn’t felt this sentiment herself when he was talking about his dead friend Maric…She already despised the man for what he had done to Alistair but to hear her husband talking about him with such loyalty was not agreeable…this kind of rivalry between the best friend and the spouse was common.

“Beside you, I have no one else to talk to and you should admit that since she is the one taking care of the castle, the food, and the hygiene had improved,” Kallian said.

“If it makes you happy to talk with her I will allow it,” he said as if he had a choice on this matter.

“You are too generous, my lord,” Kallian dramatically bowed in front of him and he growled at her.

“Why have you invited the Queen to Gwaren,” Loghain asked.

“Because we have been corresponding for months and I think that her visit would be beneficial for you, and I would have a friend to talk to for a week,”

“I have no desire to use my daughter’s power to influence anyone, I am the Hero of River Dane and I am the one who gave this country its sovereignty,” Loghain yelled.

“I didn’t mean to…” Kallian took a step back…

“I will let it skip this time, Kallian, but the next time I catch you plotting anything involving my daughter, Hero of Ferelden or not, I will send you back to your Alienage,” Loghain’s eyes were cold as ice.

“Understood?” he asked grabbing her arm…

“I…understand,” Kallian said as she violently pulled her arm and turned around to hide her tears…

He stood there for a moment…his rage was way too excessive and he knew that Kallian had the best intentions in her heart but he had learned to never trust anyone and that the best intentions sometimes lead to hell...furthermore, the permanent presence of this maid beside Kallian and the fact that Anora would see the portraits of her mother removed were enough reasons to make his act like the villain Kallian and almost all ferelden thought him to be.


	21. The queen and the knave

He had given too much gold to the jewelry maker to be able to gift her with a necklace that every woman in Ferelden would kill to wear it, but she had sent it back to him with the servant he had charged to bring her the gift along with a piece of paper that said ‘thank you, but I cannot accept’…

Little insolent elf! If someone had told him a year ago, that he would be yearning so much for her company he would have sent them to Fort Drakon.

******

After a lunch and a card party with Huna, Kallian went for her daily walk in the garden when Loghain emerged from nowhere and grabbed her hand when she tried to protest he only tightened his hold on her hand and grumbled: “come with me!”

In the big hall, a man was waiting for them…He was looking around him admiring the decoration until Loghain cleared his throat.

“Oh, my! This must be the Hero of Ferelden!” the excited man said.

“Yes, I am,” Kallian said stretching out her hand for a handshake, but at her surprise, the man bowed and planted a kiss on the back of her hand…she looked at Loghain, surprised and clearly uncomfortable.

“This is Connor Woodward, a famous painter, he is here to draw your portrait,” Loghain informed her…He hoped that it was the ultimate gift he can offer to fix his previous mistake and it would be a good reminder for him that this woman had deserved her place in his house and in history books.

Kallian’s eyes filled with tears as she fixedly stared at Loghain…it was more than what words could express.

“My Lady, I have been formed by the greatest art masters of Orlais, you are in good hands,” the man said to the hesitant elf.

“You paint her wearing her purple dress and another with her gray warden’s armor, as we discussed earlier,” Loghain said.

“The lady’s beauty had inspired me and I now see a big painting where the pure Hero floor the dragon…it would be a chef d’oeuvre,” the man said with closed eyes,

“But, have you ever seen a dragon?”The Archdemon's remain had been taken by the wardens and before this, they had not allowed anybody to get near it from fear of contamination by the taint.

“I have seen some exposed in private salons of Orlaisian nobles,” the man explained. “But it would never be as majestic as seeing you with my own eyes slaying the Archdemon,” he added.

“What are you waiting for?” Loghain said.

“Waiting for the lady to get ready, my lord,” the man bowed…staring at the Teyrna had obviously irritated her husband.

“What should I do?”

“Be pretty as you are, my lady,” the man said.

****************

Kallian found it very weird that Huna didn’t seem to appreciate what Loghain did. The woman who had promised her that she would be the Teyrna and not an elf held as hostage was cold and unimpressed by this matter as if It meant nothing that Loghain himself brought an artist to paint her portrait and hang it on the walls to replace the old portraits of his dead wife…The maid had offered Kallian an ambiguous response; ‘he did this to impress you, he is a sore loser and couldn’t accept that his first gift was rejected…do not fall for his tricks or drop your guard and more importantly, never believe that he could be in love with you.’ Kallian was not the most optimistic person in Thedas but she had to admit that Huna was at a much higher level.

**************

A month after Kallian’s paintings were ready and hanged on the walls, they received Anora’s visit…She had looked at them and didn’t seem to care much…in matter of coldness, she was her father’s daughter.

Huna, in another hand, had been flawless, she had taken care of the Queen herself, even it irritated Kallian a little bit to be neglected by her own maid in favor of the blonde woman, she was certain that Huna was striving for a better relationship between the Teyrna and the Queen…but for what end.

Anora, always a perfect diplomat, had explained that Alistair was not able to come with her because of some pressing matters, but everyone already knew that the young man would have preferred to eat with Darkspawns rather than to sit at the same dining table as Loghain…it had not been easy during their last visit to the royal palace…he was ruminating what had happened in the landsmeet and drinking way too much…Meeting with Alistair had not been as cheerful as she had thought it would be, they reminded each other of all the things they sought to forget, Morrigan and her betrayal, Loghain and her defeat in front of him…it was her fault, if only she had the courage to embrace death, back then…

 

Anora stayed for three days before saying, “I can’t leave the throne more than three days,”

Loghain had been much comfortable and easy-going since Anora’s visit, Kallian ignored what conversations had occurred between them but she could feel a sense of relief and she hoped that it would last.


	22. The biginning of the end

A few days ago, early in the morning, Huna had entered Kallian’s chamber, as usual, to wake her up…on the bed, she had found Loghain sleeping beside her.he had never slept in her room before, they would always go to his chamber, but it was not the most important thing right now, huna had thought, staring at the two entangled bodies…She had never wanted this, but she had kept the hope that Kallian would do the right thing when the moment would come…Now she was not sure about it as she looked at the panicking elf searching for the seneschal after Loghain’s hasty departure.

*******

Kallian finally found the seneschal sitting at Loghain’s desk. The man who seemed uncomfortable greeted her politely.

“Where did he go so hurriedly?the night will be falling soon,”Kallian asked.

“Worry not my lady, the Teyrn is familiar with the road to Denerim,”

“Denerim? Why? He didn’t say a thing, he passed by me and didn’t even seem to have noticed my presence,” Kallian had a very bad presentiment.

“my lady, he…the Teyrn had urgent matters to attend to I am sure he…”

“You know, I am certain you know what’s going on, tell me now or I swear I am going to take the carriage and follow him to Denerim,” Kallian’s determined tone made the man sigh and then he took a letter and handed it to her.

Kallian read the few words written in the paper and noticed the sender’s name…it was Alistair…then, this was more grave than it seemed.

“it just says that the queen had a stomach sickness…is it this alarming that it couldn’t wait till morning?” Kallian tried to convince herself. The old bald man rushed to close the study’s door and whispered,

“it is a stomach illness that took the late Teyrna, the best physicians and mages couldn’t do anything for her or even understand what had caused it…it had been a very painful and long agony, as if every meal she took draw death closer,” The seneschal's eyes fixed the letter with a frightened look as he spoke.

“but a few months ago Anora was fine and healthy when she came to visit…” Kallian tried to negate the evidence…if Anora was truly dying then all this would soon crumble…Huna…Huna would surely know what she had to do.

********

“I am going to order the stable workers to prepare the carriage, we are going to denerim in the morning,” Huna said after listening to Kallian.

“but, what if it was just the stomach flu and we would show up uninvited at the royal palace,” Kallian was in denial.

“My lady, do you really think that Alistair would address a letter to Loghain if it was not serious?” Huna said

“Even if it was…I ….I wouldn’t know what to say or do to console him,” Kallian muttered with a shaking voice.

“You have to be present, Warden, if the woman who had forced you both into this marriage dies, it means that everything will change, and believe me you would like to be present when it happen,” Huna said with a reassuring smile, but Kallian was far from reassured.


	23. The choice of Kallian Tabris

One's destiny was forged by the multitude of little decisions they make daily, without even noticing their cruciality; one more piece of cake, one more cup of wine, a detour or a shortcut taking you to another fate…but few would have the opportunity to choose with full knowledge of the facts and how their decision would impact the rest of their lives… Those ones wouldn’t be able to afford the luxury of complaining or posing as the victims, ever…what would the elven Warden choose?

***************

Kallian and Huna reached the royal palace after half a week. The warden was received by Arl Eamon announcing to her the death of the Queen and the inability of the King to receive her…she had not asked to meet Alistair, all she could think about was Loghain. but when she finally asked the old Arl about him, he looked surprised but after a moment of silence, he had said that he was going to see if the king could spare some time to talk with her…Huna didn’t seem surprised at all, nor did she make an effort to reassure her, all she had said was, “let us sit here and wait,”

 

Alistair came accompanied by two personal guards, it was hilarious to see a gray warden escorted by guards who were obviously less strong than him, but the time was not adequate for such jokes. He had asked her to follow him to his quarters, the only place they would be able to speak without being observed.

“I am sorry for your loss,” she had said once they were alone.

“Yes, you already said that,” Alistair remarked,

“I…Where is Loghain?” Kallian was as tired as Alistair from using all those hollow and standard polite words.

“I can’t believe that after almost two years we are as we would have been if you had won the duel at the Landsmeet,” He said.

“What…what does it mean?” Kallian blinked…she knew what his words meant.

“it means that now I can give Ferelden a heir making sure that after my death there wouldn’t be another civil war between nobles over the empty throne and it also means that Loghain is going to finally pay for what he had done to Duncan, the King, and all of us,” Alistair’s stare had never been as determined and stern as in this moment.

“You are going to kill him? Now? Are you going to light a pyre for the father and the daughter in the same day?” Kallian closed her fists tightly, she didn’t like the role she had to play here, the devil’s advocate for a man who had nearly exterminated half Ferelden and had almost sold her family to blood mages…she hated it but she had promised…this was marriage.

“Would you rather prefer it if I gave him my place on the throne so he could carry on with what he was doing the last time…maybe you should kiss your father goodbye before your husband sells him,” Alistair was sarcastic but it didn’t hide his anger.

“I just want you to let me take him back to Gwaren and I promise you that…”

“You can’t promise me anything, only death can put an end to this man’s political ambitions, do you remember what he has done to Cailan, the legitimate son of his friend, for few letters exchanged with the Orlesian Empress when his daughter was already sitting on the throne? What will he do to me, the rejected bastard, now that his daughter is dead? How many lives are you ready to gamble with?”

“And what after that? Will you kill me or send me to Weisshaupt because I am now his wife,”

“You are not his wife, Loghain Mac Tir would have never married an elf, you were just a hostage,” Alistair pointed, “Now, Arl Eamon had suggested to name you as Arl of Amaranthine so you may rule it jointly with the Orlesian warden commander, but I would prefer you to keep Gwaren as the Hero of Ferelden and also the widow of the Loghain,”

“Please, Alistair, you and I are brethren, Let me go with him and you won’t see us again,” Kallian tried.

“I don’t know from where you had come with the idea that Loghain is ready to leave everything and run away with an elf, but I try to be indulgent as I cannot imagine what it felt like to be forced to lay with a man who considers you as a creature,” Alistair said with eyes full of pity and disgust.

“Let me see him,” kallian said through her tears.

“Not until you promise me your total loyalty,”

“Do you think that your guards are a match for me, your majesty,” Kallian growled grabbing the hilt of her sword.

“That’s what I thought of you until your blatant failure at the landsmeet,” Alistair frowned, “and I should warn you, if you draw your sword against me it would be as drawing a sword against Ferelden and you will be labeled as a traitor,” Alistair warned.

“Do you want me to beg on my knees,” Kallian shouted to the man who was about to leave the room.

“I want you to give me your decision as soon as possible…Now I must go, we have preparations to do for the funeral tomorrow,”

****************

A guard led Kallian to the guest room where Huna was waiting for her.

“How many times should I witness my life crumbling before my eyes?” Kallian let herself fall on the chair.

“Until you take it in hands, and rely on no one but yourself,” Huna coldly said.

“I…” Kallian stared at Huna with an opened mouth.

“I was observing things around here and I came to this conclusion, the one ruling here, right now, is not your friend, it is that old man called Eamon, it is with him that you must treat,”

“If it is Eamon, Loghain is already dead, for he is responsible not only for poisoning him and killing his nephew but he also indirectly caused his son’s death and the desolation of Redcliff,”

“Have you met Loghain?” Huna asked.

“No, he won’t let me until I swear allegiance to him,”

“Will they let you rule Gwaren?” Huna asked.

“Eamon is against the idea…he didn’t approve of Loghain becoming a Teyrn you can imagine what he is thinking about me,”

“I have something, something that can change the balance of forces and allow you to negotiate with them,” Huna took a red bottle from her purse.

“But, Warden, before I give you this you must make your mind, what are you going to negotiate for? The teyrnir of Gwaren or the life of an old man who sees you as an animal of company more than a wife?” Huna said.

 


	24. The dark ones

Kallian looked at the red bottle,then to Huna.

“What is this?”

“this is something I made especially for this occasion, a fertility treatment for wardens, If the king get this he would be able to sire one child, I am sure the old Eamon would give you whatever you want if you make sure that the Theirin bloodline wouldn’t die,” Huna said observing Kallain’s reaction.

Kallian sat there for a moment, visibly thinking about the matter. Finally, the elf stood up and unsheathed her sword to point it toward Huna’s chest…Huna smiled, it was about time!

“Easy, my lady you can wound someone with this,”

“You know that Anora would be dead soon and you had the time to prepare this potion,” Kallain was uncertain but the smile on Huna’s face didn’t lie.

“Yes, when she visited us, I made sure that she would know the same end as her mother…I would have made her death less painful but it would have been too suspect…They would have suspected you, my lady, but now they just think that it is due to some hereditary disease and you are safe,”

“Oh, you want me to believe that you had made all of this for my sake?”

“No, I made it for the sake of Ferelden, Anora was a shrewd woman but she was as traitorous as her father and you had tested it first hand, besides half the duties of a queen is to give an heir to the throne and the woman was barren,” Huna shrugged pushing Kallian’s sword aside.

“You killed her for this?” Kallian was incredulous.

“Her father killed poor Cailan for less than this, you know,” Huna smirked looking at the confused warden lowering her sword.

“What are you trying to accomplish, Huna the Avvar shaman,” Kallian finally said.

“What I wanted, I had already accomplished it, my vengeance is completed and what keeps me here Kallian, is the promise I made to you, you will become the Teyrna,” Huna said with a genuine sincerity.

“What had Loghain done to you to kill his wife and daughter?” Kallian asked, afraid to hear the answer…she was aware that he was able of monstrosity.

“I have nothing personal against Loghain….His wife, I swore to erase her legacy after giving her the most painful and slow death,” Huna said gesturing to Kallian to take a seat.

Kallian sat back on her chair holding her breath and waiting for the young woman to tell her story.

“You see, my name is truly Huna and I am as I said, the daughter of a wandering stranger and an avvar woman who had installed in Gwaren’s village…after my father’s death, mother sent me to her tribe because I have showed signs of shamanic trance while my little brother became a stable boy serving the Teyrnir and kept dreaming about being able someday to join the Hero of River Dane’s army, but unfortunately for him the Teyrn took only the ones he considered to be pure fereldans and had a preference for women warriors…even if the avvar are the purest fereldans and even if my little brother looked more fereldan than Loghain would ever be, he remained a simple stable boy, until the teyrn went to dilapidate the money of the taxpayers looking for his vanished friend Maric for two years, in those two years, the teyrna had convinced my brother that she was the neglected unhappy poor wife and that they were involved in some romantic relationship, and he believed it,” Huna laughed with tears in her eyes, she looked at Kallian and said “You are so similar, you and him, beautiful inside and outside, and credulously thinking that this kind of vermin could feel love,” Huna closed her eyes and took a deep breath then continued, “Now you can imagine what happened when the enamored boy didn’t want to leave the teyrna’s side when she had told him about her husband’s imminent return…so…she accused him of theft…and made him beatten to death…then, she ordered her men to throw his body on the doorsteps of his mother’s home…Mom…after finding him…buried him, alone…then hanged herself.” Huna’s voice seemed to come from the depth of a well.

Kallian’s eyes widened, “how did the villagers let such behavior go easily, even elves would have reacted!”

“Because we are strangers with no community to protect us…do you think that the Teyrna choose my brother on a whim? He was the easiest to get rid of if anything went wrong with no risks to see a crowd of villagers invading her yard.”

“She was an evil woman,” Kallian growled.

“Her husband is no different, birds of a feather flock together,” Huna pointed. “anyway, when I came back home, the villagers recognized me and told me what happened, then they ordered me not to make a fuss and that my brother was a thief and my mother an insane woman…I went to the forest…and I entered a trance that lasted for three days…I asked for answers and for help…maybe also for death. Something took pity on me it showed me what happened exactly and promised me its help…’I will make the universe itself conspire to help you take your righteous vengeance’ it told me.”

“Did it work?” Kallian frowned.

“What if I told you that you were meant to win the duel against Loghain, warden, but it seems that my vengeance had deviated your destiny to make our path cross,” Huna said.

“Are you serious?” Kallian was now doubting the woman’s sanity.

“You will understand soon, even I didn’t believe it at first…Yes, after I met this entity, I went back to the village and I noticed that nobody seemed to remember who I was…they didn’t recognize me, so I decided to wait, after three days, guards came to inform the villagers that the Teyrna was looking for new maids after a mysterious disease stroke half of her maids and she had thrown them out of fear of contagion… I became a maid…and the rest of the story I think you already know it.”

Kallian was submerged by what she had heard…it was understandable yet hard to believe…how a woman like Huna, who had no particular powers was able to achieve this…maybe something else was involved like she had revealed…some dark powers were pulling the strings and now her destiny was sealed by them.


	25. The new beginning

“I wonder if in the middle of this plan of yours you had a little bit of true friendship for me,” Kallian had said.

“People are dead and others are about to die and you are asking about those futile things, Warden?” Huna had answered sarcastically… It was perhaps the least important thing right now, but after what had happened with Morrigan, Kallian couldn’t stop thinking that maybe it was something about her that attracted those women who saw nothing else but a dupe.

“I will simply say that my plan was supposed to end with the death of that woman’s daughter and yet I am here standing with you…you can interpret this as it pleases you, warden,” The young woman had said before giving her the red vial.

Kallian remembered those words as she walked through the dark hallways, following two guards to the palace’s gaol…she was extirpated from her thoughts when a guard stopped before a cell and pointed to it with the lamp in his hand…Kallian rushed to glance through the metallic bars…Loghain was sitting on the floor, he didn’t even raise his head to see who was standing before his cell.

“Open the door,” Kallian hastened the guard.

She rushed inside followed by the other guard who put the clothes and armor he was carrying on the floor beside the prisoner.

“You will need this lamp," the other guard said as he put it in front of the opened cell.

He still didn’t raise his head even after he heard her voice…he didn’t move at all…no reactions.

Kallian kneeled beside him and put a trembling hand on his shoulder…did she came too late?

Kallian's hand slid carefully up his shoulder to his neck then cheek, his skin was warm enough to indicate that he was still breathing. Kallian pressed her mouth against his rough unshaven cheek...This man deserved to feel this pain he had served to many people, it was undeniable, but to see Loghain like this...it was a sad and overwhelming vision to witness a strong man broken like this...

“Loghain,” she had whispered near his ear, “it is me,”

The man finally raised his head and looked at her…even with the feeble light she could see the dark rings under his eyes…his eyes…were hollow, empty of all emotions.

Kallian swallowed painfully…she had to get hold of herself, this was not the place for a meltdown.

“Put on your clothes and armor, it is time to go,” Kallian said with a voice she had wanted to sound more strong than emotional.

Oddly the man in front of her didn’t seem surprised, he just nodded and stood up.

He uttered no words as she helped him to dress and put his armor on.

They both followed the two guards out and when they crossed the back door of the palace, one of the guards outside handed Kallian her twin daggers and handed Loghain his sword and shield saying,

“Your horses are waiting for you, Warden.”

Kallian looked at Loghain, he was frowning, looking at the sword in his hand in disbelief…She thanked the guards and said “let’s go,” gently touching Loghain’s arm.

He sheathed his sword and followed her.

When they were far enough from the guards, Loghain finally spoke,

“What have you done?”

Kallian blinked, the question itself frightened her…was he suspecting her for what happened to his daughter?

“I thought I was going to walk to my execution, what have you done to have me released?” He repeated.

“I convinced Alistair…” Kallian lied and quickly added, “You are a free man Loghain, but we have to leave Ferelden,”

“Exiled?” Loghain whispered.

“Yes,” Kallian muttered… ‘Who told you that the old man would prefer a life of exile with you rather than to die in his country?’ Huna had warned her…was she right?

Loghain stared at Kallian for several seconds, his face unreadable.

“You shouldn’t have done this, elf,” He finally said.

“the elf would have never done it,” Kallian’s growled, “Being a warden, I had no choice in it, I was conscripted and couldn’t refuse this for this reason I have always been reticent to die as a Warden…I refused to die honorably, but I had a choice at the landsmeet, and I escaped death by accepting to become your wife…I will honor the vows I made and…” her voice softened as she added “I promised you, I will always have your back,”

Loghain didn’t speak, he kept staring at her…the elf was dumber than what he had thought…Even Celia who had been his wife for almost thirty years would have chosen Gwaren’s Teyrnir over an exile with him… the elf was certainly about to become a rich widow and inherit all the gold and lands…yet, it seems that she had bargained all of it to save the life of an old broken man…she was an idiot and she, mostly, was all he had left.

Loghain suddenly bowed in front of her…Kallian, surprised, stared down and she saw his joined hands forming a stirrup.

“Hurry up and get on this horse’s back,” he said.

Kallian put her feet on the improvised stirrup and he lifted her. Once she was installed on the saddle, Loghain put each one of her feet in the stirrups and went to his horse.

Kallian smiled…maybe, he was glad to be alive and to have her by his side after all.

From afar, she saw Huna waving at her with a smile, praying that Kallian, the small elven Warden, would never regret her choice.

“Are you ready?” Loghain asked.

“I think I am,” Kallian nodded with a smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the final chapter, so,I hope you enjoyed this story. thank you for the kudos, the bookmarks and the comments.


	26. The epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like a little epilogue was needed for this story.

More than two hundred years later:

“This is the main hall or the entrance hall, as you can see, the decoration is sumptuous meant to enthrall the guests,” the guide addressed the small group of visitors.

With astonished eyes, the young people admired the decoration of the room. Before the old guide could recite the monotonous words he repeated at each guided tour, a young woman pointed to a large painting,

“Who is this woman dragging down the dragon?” she asked.

The Old man looked at the painting and smiled, almost each time someone would ask about this particular painting.

“This painting is a representation of the elven Warden flooring the Archdemon, she was the last Teyrna this castle had,”

“An elven warden Teyrna? Back then? It is hard to believe,” another visitor said.

“well, her story is particular, you see, the Teyrn of Gwaren at that time, was Loghain Mac Tir, the father of the Queen Anora, This man was involved in a scheme that made Ferelden lose its most powerful men in one week, leading to a civil war in times of Blight…”

“I think we learned this in history classes,” the girl said, “but, didn’t he get executed or something?”

“Not really, to protect him, the Queen forced warden Tabris to marry Loghain, it is said that they hated each other with a passion, as they were sworn enemies since the failed battle of Ostagar,” the man précised.

“So why there is a lot of her paintings all over the walls?” the girl was skeptical and very smart.

“It seems that things changed when they came here, in fact, it is said that it was her who saved his life when Queen Anora died and the King wanted to get rid of him, she had convinced the King who was one of her fellow wardens to only exile the Teyrn,”

“And then? What happened after this,” the girl said impatiently.

“As we all know, Ferelden had been ruled by Alistair Theirin and then his son after him and…” the old man said playing stupid to create more suspense for the captivated audience.

“I am talking about the warden and Loghain? What happened to them?”

“Kallian Tabris, or should I say Teyrna Mac Tir, made a deal with the King, she exchanged this castle and the lands surrounding it for the life of her old husband…they left together and what happened to them stays a mystery,”

“Now, I feel so disappointed,” she said

“However, there are rumors about them, a fereldan Arlessa claimed that she had seen them in a theatre in Antiva; an old black haired man who seemed to have lost partially his sight was sitting in a balcony with an elven woman holding his hand and whispering into his ear what was happening in stage when the actors were not singing the opera…some affirmed that a Baron offered Loghain asylum on his lands where he lived with his wife when others said that the Warden and Loghain ended up in Rivain raising their children as far as possible from politics and power struggle,”

“But which one of those stories you think to be more veracious?” a man asked.

“In my opinion, all of them are,” the old man said with confidence and saw the smile of the girl who asked him first widen…

“And who is the woman standing next to Warden Teyrna in this painting?” a boy asked.

The guide’s smile disappeared, as he looked at this particular picture.

“Nobody knows exactly who she was,” he said, “but, the first inventory made to draw up a list of all the objects present in this castle, described this painting as the painting of one sitting woman, the Teyrna…for the woman standing beside her had never been mentioned.” The man explained.

“A ghost painting? I am thrilled,” a visitor laughed.

“Is there another rational explanation?” a man asked.

“The only two explanations are that all the people who made the precedent inventory were short-sighted or this woman standing here appeared later,” The guide said.

“She has a unique aura and such a look in her eyes,” a woman got closer to the painting.

“Step back, lady!” the old man warned, “Believe me, you do not want to keep staring at this one for long,” he added.

“Now, let us move to the next room,” The guide smiled not wanting to make the visitors more anxious…After a night spent here, they would find out for themselves about the oppressive atmosphere and the entity who seemed to have never left the walls of this castle.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All your comments are welcomed (as long as everyone stays courteous), whether you liked the story or not, do not hesitate to tell me what impression it left you, your point of view interests me.


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